Work Never Begun
by Kolbie Ru-Ru
Summary: A bunch of ideas that may or may not come to fruition. 14) One Piece/Katekyo Hitman Reborn! crossover [Kyoya in the One Piece world, Dimensional Travel, No Pairings], 15) The Blood Elf [1/2 Prince, Male!Feng Lan, Dimensional Travel], 16) Haizaki-centric Plot Bunnies/Excerpts
1. Nothin' Ever Lasts Forever

**Story: Nothin' Ever Lasts Forever**

**Summary: Except when it does. Time Travel/Loop.**

**Category: Naruto  
**

* * *

"Sasuke! You're awake!"

His eyes fly open, his entire body tensing involuntarily as he sits up, only for a blur of pink to cloud his vision. _Sakura_. Her arms wrap around his strangely lethargic body, hugging him tightly, and he lets her, confusion and the grogginess from sleeping too long dulling his cognitive abilities. He blearily takes in the rest of the room (white, clean, machines hooked up to his body; Conclusion: hospital) and eventually zeroes in on the others surrounding his bed.

The rest of his old team stare back at him, along with the Hokage, and the relief and concern about him etched onto their young faces is _so wrong_. It makes him _livid__regretfulhapp- _His mind _screams_ at him to run away, get away, far away from here, but he doesn't move. Presumably, he's just awoken from a prolonged slumber, and then there's the drugs still in his system; he's entirely too tired to do anything more than stay in an upright position, and that's mostly because his ex-teammate is keeping him there.

Since he's physically inhibited, he attempts to clear the fog from his mind and puzzle out the current situation. This is enemy territory, but then, why isn't he imprisoned or his chakra suppressed? There's also the fact that the Idiot is visibly younger than Sasuke had last seen him, which had only been a few months ago. Is it a ploy to make Sasuke let his guard down via the appearance of a once-trusted teammate? Surely, they couldn't believe such a thing would work on anyone, much less him.

"It's about time you woke up, Sasuke-teme," The Idiot grins at him cheerfully. Pointing a thumb at the Hokage, he says, "Me and Pervy Sage went and tracked down Tsunade-obaa-chan to cure you; she's supposed to be a really good medic."

He narrows his eyes at the non-sequitur. Why would he pretend he doesn't know the _Hokage_? Is he assuming Sasuke doesn't remember who replaced the Third? Something about this conversation rubs him the wrong way, even ignoring the weirdness of it all. It's almost as if he's heard it before...?

Hitting The Idiot once on the head, the Hokage snaps, "What did I tell you about calling me 'granny', huh, brat?!"

"I don't care what you look like! You're still an old hag!" The orange-clothed ninja retorts, quickly stepping behind Kakashi for protection as the village leader descends on him again.

Huffing in irritation, the woman points out, "You're supposed to be _grateful_, brat." Abruptly, she turns a shrewd gaze on him, looking him over expertly. "You alright, kid? There's nothing physically wrong with you." The fact that he might have _mental_ scarring goes unsaid, but the occupants of the room understand it, regardless. Sakura squeezes him more tightly, and The Idiot's face contorts with undisguised worry.

"What happened?" He demands hoarsely, not bothering to answer the woman's inquiry. Bluntness has always been his preferred method over subtlety anyway.

The Hokage and Kakashi don't outwardly react to his memory loss(?), while the moron steps out from behind cover and starts babbling with a scowl, "Che. Of course you wouldn't remember, teme." He crosses his arms and continues, "Your brother and this fish-guy showed up in the village and attacked Kakashi-sensei and tried to attack me before you turned up and tried to fight him and got your ass kicked and then he did some genjutsu thing to you, and then you and Kakashi-sensei wouldn't wake up, so me and Pervy Sage went on a journey to get Tsunade-obaa-chan to come fix you."

He takes all of his former teammate's words in, recognizes the sheer impossibility of said words, and wonders idly if his cracked mind has finally shattered completely. He thinks back to his last clear memory (_bloodpainregretwhydoyoubelieveinm-)_ and can't find it in himself to be at all surprised by this development.

Sakura - who is also much younger in appearance - finally stops clinging onto him and leans back, wiping her eyes, but she doesn't attempt to vacate her spot on his bed. Still sniffling slightly, she points out in the same haughty tone of voice Sasuke vaguely recalls her using when correcting the Idiot from his long-buried memories, "You forgot the part where she's our new Hokage, Naruto."

The boy mutters something unpleasant about the village leader, who in turn takes it upon herself to cause him more physical harm, resulting in another session of bickering. Sakura's hand stays firmly wrapped around his, even as she watches the spectacle with a small smile, and he can feel his old mentor studying him intently without even glancing up. His eyes never stray from his lap, wherein his free hand has balled into a white-knuckled fist.

Either Sasuke is reliving his own memory in dream-form, someone has cast a powerful illusion on him, or he has somehow gone back in time. The first one is unlikely; he would be able to change things were he simply asleep. The second suggestion is laughable. It's not arrogance fueling his belief that no one would be able to best him in his specialty - simply fact. _(Besides, there's no longer anyone alive strong enough to do so.)_

...Time travel, huh? Something stirs within him, an ugly, bitter thing. His mouth curls into a self-deprecating smirk because _of course_ he couldn't have traveled to before the massacre, to a time wherein he could actually make a difference. It's fitting, in a way. He's always taking one step forward and two steps back - always achieving his goals only to find out he's made things worse.

"Maa, why don't let Sasuke rest? He's only just woken up, after all," Kakashi-sensei suddenly proposes, cheerfully. Ignoring the Idiot's squawk of protest as he and Sakura are nudged out of the room, alongside the Godaime, the masked man goes on, "We have a mission to do soon, and I know neither of you have been-" The voices die down as the door closes, and the lighthearted atmosphere Sasuke hadn't even noticed vanishes with them.

He lies down and stares unseeingly at the paneled ceiling. What is he supposed to do now? The burning hatred that had kept him going even after every failure has been extinguished; there's nothing left now - only _griefpainlossdeathturmoil_. Maybe once, he might have jumped at the chance to right his wrongs, but hasn't he already proven that everything he touches eventually turns to ash? Death clings to him, like a cloak, doggedly following his footsteps no matter what he does or where he goes.


	2. When I'm Caught On Fire

**Story: When I'm Caught On Fire**

**Summary: Kagami demands to know why the hell this is happening to him of all people; he's a born and bred basketball player, damn it! He also kind of wants to punch that Tsunayoshi kid in his understanding, compassionate face. (OR: Kagami turns out to be a mafia boss, and the GoM repay unspoken debts.) AU. No Pairings.**

**Category: Kuroko no Basuke**

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**I.**

"Playing basketball again, eh?"

The casual tone with which the observation was spoken does nothing to stop the shiver from wracking his body, and it is with great trepidation that Kagami turns his head slightly to take in the deceptively calm expression on his mentor's face. He represses the urge to gulp and, instead, begins to get angry. Okay, yeah, sure, he was injured... yesterday. But his idiotic Sun Guardian had been too busy catering to the mass of fangirls surrounding him to notice the bullet, and Kagami hadn't had enough time to call forth his flames to incinerate it. Knocking Kise out of the way had been all he could do.

So what if the shot nicked his shoulder in the process? It was _only_ a graze, and there was _barely_ any blood. With the way everyone's acting, you'd think he'd lost an arm or something.

Gritting his teeth, he turns around fully and grunts out, "I'm fine."

Riko merely shoots him an unimpressed look before gesturing to the newly blood-stained bandages on his shoulder. He spares them a single glance, his gaze firmly on the woman slowly sauntering toward him. Her voice is sickly sweet as she points out, "If you'd just stayed in bed like a good little mafia boss instead of needlessly aggravating your wound because of your ridiculous obsession," Imaginary arrows pierce his body as the scolding continues, "_I_ could be enjoying a relaxing bath with a glass of wine, and _you_ wouldn't be in danger of bleeding out."

Again with the exaggerations! Growling now, he spits out, "I wouldn't _have_ to sneak out of bed, and you wouldn't _have_ to_ be_ here if you weren't such a mother-hen."

Suddenly, the temperature of the room drops a few degrees, and Kagami has only a moment to regret his decision to antagonize this woman before he is being forced to the ground in a familiar crab hold and struggling to breathe. Laughing cutely, as if she isn't rather hypocritically exacerbating his injury, she asks, "What was that, Taiga-chan? Who's a mother-hen?"

Stubbornly refusing to capitulate—Give the she-demon an inch, and she'll take a mile—he says nothing, ignoring both the stinging pain in his shoulder and the failed Arcobaleno radiating dark energies above him.


	3. No Revenge, No Life

**Story: No Revenge, No Life**

**Summary: Sasuke is heavily wounded after his battle at the Valley of the End, and Orochimaru's henchmen have yet to whisk him away (not that he'd admit to needing any such help.) A curious meeting with a familiar face leads to staggering implications and some much needed enlightenment. Time travel. AU. Genfic.**

**Category: Naruto**

**Chapter 2**

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_Children, hypocrisy - That's why I give; you can take it from me._

_If you don't, won't live to see one last of act of tragedy._

* * *

"Sasu...ke?" Sakura breathes the name beside him in disbelief, her voice little more than a whisper, and Naruto whips his head around to confirm with his own eyes that despite the fact that their mission had fallen through (when they'd been greeted by Kabuto, who'd easily seen through Yamato-sensei's disguise, and then Orochimaru, which had lead to an epic fight only for both of them to explode into smoke, having either been clones all along or replacements while their originals escaped), despite not even learning of Orochimaru's base, much less locating it, their wayward teammate _(always and forever) _is standing before them, expression blank but whole and alive and _there_.

"So, this is your old team, eh, Sasuke?" Someone finally breaks the oppressive silence, tone curious, and Naruto breaks eye contact with Sasuke, only now noticing the four figures surrounding him. There is a red-haired female sporting glasses glaring down at them from the Uchiha's right, and next to her stands a rather large man with orange hair, eyes darting between his team nervously. The one who'd spoken is male with a shark-like grin and a giant, _familiar_ sword strapped to his back.


	4. Cruelly Moving Forward

**Story: Cruelly Moving Forward**

**Concept: SI/OC is reborn as a KHR! character.**

**Category: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

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_"It's too late to regret. Reality is just cruelly moving forward._  
_ \- Tobi (Naruto Shippuden)_

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**Prologue**

My death was gruesome.

I'd been returning from somewhere - After all this time, the finer details are lost to me - after dark in one of the seedier areas of my neighborhood when this man (whose face I can scarcely recall) popped up out of nowhere - or maybe I just hadn't seen him until he was right on top of me - and yanked me into an alley. I'd been scared frozen, embarrassingly enough, and hadn't even put up a fight.

Anyway, long story, short: He mugged me and then plunged a knife into my gut, repeatedly. I suppose I should be grateful he hadn't been a rapist or a cannibal, which would have ruined any remaining dignity I'd have had left after being one of the stereotypical movie victims I'd once scoffed at.

But enough of that. You're probably more interested in what happened _after_ that, huh? That's what this story's about, after all.

The 'afterlife' wasn't like anything I'd ever imagined. There was no fiery pit of despair and endless torture or pearly, golden gates seated majestically upon clouds, nor was there an all-consuming void of darkness in which I floated as I awaited my appointment with Death.

It was everything and nothing. It was light _and_ darkness. There were no individual souls frolicking about; there was no longer an "_I"_. There was only _"we" _and_ "us". _Calling it the 'afterlife' is incorrect. It _was_ life. It was _living_ without all of the stress or heartbreak or worries of _Before_. When I was alive, my greatest fear was being alone. _There was no such thing there - no loneliness_. We were _one_, always together, always in harmony.

Hate and sorrow, love and happiness - none of that existed there. It was serenity; it was peace. Looking back on it now, the word I would use to describe it best would be _apathy_.

I was able to forgive my murderer easily. Loathing was a concept I could no longer grasp. I did not even concern myself with the people I'd left behind. Logically, I understood they would move on, and eventually, they, too, would venture to that place and know tranquility.

Speaking of moving on, souls constantly appeared and disappeared there; whenever a gap in the entity that was _us_ opened, another few dozen souls would fill it up. I'd never thought about where they went; I didn't really ever think at all. Our 'minds' were connected; my thoughts were their thoughts and vice versa. No one else pondered much, either, once they'd settled in.

Even now, I have no way of knowing how long I'd been there. It could have been mere moments or an eternity. Time had no meaning to us, after all, and there were no changes - excluding the soul transfers - or events that could be used to measure such a thing.

My own departure from that place was gradual and so natural that I didn't question it; or, perhaps, I was simply indifferent to it. My consciousness shifted between _us _and _I_ until I eventually adopted the individual body as my own. As I stated before, it's impossible to tell time in that place - again, though, maybe no one cared enough to do so - but I can speculate that my 'reincarnation' began when I was born and only successfully ended when I - the body I'm inhabiting - was three years old.

I _was_ unconcerned about this development - to a degree - but now that I was back in reality, I could actually _feel_ things again. And I _hated _it. Well, 'hate' is a strong word, and since my time in that place, I haven't _really_ been able to experience strong emotions - only echoes; everything was toned down. It makes me wonder if maybe somewhere along the way, I'd lost of piece of myself. Everyone else (or, at least, the souls in that place) had gone through the reincarnation process as well, but I have yet to meet anyone who is distant and older than their years.

Regardless, I'd been safe and content, and now I was _alive_ and could succumb to heartache and depression and all of the other awful things life has to offer. I didn't think it was a fair trade. Still, even if I didn't see a point to this world, I wasn't suicidal; I wouldn't kill myself just to return to that place, even if I so desperately wanted to. When I was alive the first time (that I remember), I hadn't been able to picture my future, but death hadn't been an option then, either.

So I lived.

You might have noticed I haven't given many details about my past life, and I don't intend to; it's not relevant to the story I'm trying to tell. However, in order to understand me a bit better, I'll need to divulge _some_ things.

I was an eighteen year old, Caucasian, American female - legally a woman, even if those older than me rarely acknowledged me as an adult - when I died. I was considered quiet and shy, but I _chose_ not to speak incessantly around strangers and even friends. It's an unfortunate fact of life that people can be two-faced; I've witnessed first-hand 'close' friends of mine act genial towards one another and then insult each other as soon as one of them leaves the room. That's not to say _all_ of them were superficial, but I was only ever completely honest and open with my family.

How is any of this of any import? In this new life of mine, I was reborn as a little boy. Once upon a time, I might have been embarrassed by such a thing, but as with my emotions, _that place_ changed my view of gender. The notion of different sexes held no meaning there; we didn't have physical bodies, and our 'minds' were all connected - men and women alike. And, as stated before, my transfer into this body was perfectly natural. I felt as at home in this new form as I did in my old one - male reproductive organs included.

The differences don't end there, however. Whereas before I'd been a brunette, _now_, I had a head full of blond hair. My nationality had changed as well; I was born and raised in Italy. I suppose I should also mention that my memories had fused with this body's, so I knew the paltry amount of words it had absorbed in my 'absence'.

Oh, perhaps the _most_ important revelation of that transitory time period: The world I've been dumped into isn't the boring, normal Earth I'd come from. It's a world wherein mafioso have special powers, and middle school students are apparently equipped to save it _with_ those powers - the world of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

It's _also_ supposed to be fictional, but, _well_, I'd never really bought in to the whole 'reincarnation' thing, either. I wonder, does that make Akira Amano our 'Creator'? Technically, I existed _before_ I came here - which brings up another great point. I should have taken the chance the meet Amano-san while I was in the other world, so I'd be able to smugly say I'd already _met_ my maker. But I digress.

You're probably wondering, oh so curious voices in my head, what part I play with the aforementioned super-mafioso. I could explain why I'm involved with the mafia and how I affect the KHR! world, but why waste my time doing that when giving you my name would do so with much less effort on my part?

I am Dino, soon-to-be(?) boss of the Chiavarone Famiglia and eventual mentor/big brother figure to Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Vongola Decimo.

No pressure, eh?


	5. And Then I Died

**Story:** And Then I Died

**Summary: **Dino hasn't always been a bartender making below minimum wage and living off of tips, but, then again, he hasn't always been a lot of other things either. He's resigned himself to the never-ending cycle until this life's Hibari Kyouya happens upon his bar and becomes his very own regular. "Order something other than tea." "Why should I?" "Because this a bar, damn it!" Hibari/Dino. Oodles of humor.

**Category: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

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The flow of men with pinched, unpleasant faces attempting to drown their woes after a presumably long day in a stuffy cubicle and lively, rowdy college kids looking for a good time and a whole lot of alcohol finally disperses around two in the morning, leaving only the regulars. Dino has grown rather fond of them - if not for their company, then for their blessed appreciation of silence.

He grabs a rag and begins wiping down the bar mechanically, knowing very well that his manager tends to swoop in like a hawk at any sign of idleness. With only the occasional murmur of the bar's occupants and the muffled noise of the outside world, the blonde soon finds himself lost in thought.

Dino hasn't always been a bartender making below minimum wage and living off of tips, but, then again, he hasn't always been a lot of other things either. He'd been the boss of a mafia family - and a scrawny, apathetic teenager before that. He'd made his famiglia prosper. He'd helped change the bloody, ruthless mafia into something _worth_ being apart of. Heck, he'd even saved the world a few times. And then, he died.

Except, he didn't _stay _dead.

Like any normal person, he'd thought of it as a 'second chance.' The circumstances of his new life had been altered slightly - his mother was the boss before him, not his father, Tsuna was eighteen when they met, etc. - but despite that, he'd been able to correct any mistakes he'd made before and live a fulfilling life. When he'd closed his eyes for what was supposed to be the final time, he hadn't had any regrets.

And yet, he'd opened his eyes to an unfamiliar blue ceiling not a moment later.

He's not quite certain when the do overs began to feel daunting rather than exciting, or when the smiling faces of loved ones began to send shards of pain lancing through his heart rather than warmth, or when the prospect of death began to sound appealing rather than horrifying. Perhaps, it's when he realized there was no way _out_.

Nevertheless, at some point, he removed himself completely from the formula he'd been following and pursued different avenues. (It was, he thinks with a dull ache in his chest, almost too easy to erase his friends and family from his life entirely.) He's been an assassin, a baker, an information broker, a kindergarten teacher, a singer, a professional athlete, an author - the list could go on forever.

He'd 'woken up' as a sixteen year old this time, the only son to the owners of a successful chain of bars in Italy. His family had long since moved away from criminal activities over the endless repeats, excepting the odd existence every now and then. (Funnily enough, whenever Dino has the time and resources to check on them, Tsuna and the others are all always involved with the mafia somehow, whether they are apart of or firmly against it.)

Having been groomed to take over the family business since he'd been old enough to handle the glass bottles without breaking them - Memories don't come with the new life, unfortunately; this is something he's gathered from his father's many 'heart-to-heart's - Dino had spent the last five years learning the ins and outs of the profession and had become rather good at it, if his parents' words are anything to go by.

So of course, he moved to America and got a job at a rundown, shabby excuse for a pub as soon as possible. If his many lives have given him _any__thing_, it's a yearning for independence (and just maybe, a bit of a backbone.)

The pay is laughable, sure, but the owner is a prickly-on-the-outside-but-soft-on-the-inside kind of guy, and he took Dino in without any questions, his eyes alight with an understanding the blonde had so desperately needed _(still needs) _at the time. Room and board are free, at least, so he doesn't have anything to complain about, really. The monotony is even comforting, in a way.

He's moved on to taking stock of the bottles on the shelves and the contents of the kegs when he hears the chime of the bell tied to the front door signalling a new customer. He finishes his assessment quickly and then turns around to greet the new patron. It's only prior experience with such situations that keeps him from freezing in place or gaping unattractively at the familiar face. (Inwardly, he is _freaking out_.)

"I was informed this establishment serves adequate tea," Hibari Kyouya drawls in perfect English, displeasure at the lack of respectable tea vendors in this country showing rather plainly on his aristocratic face. He's clad in a black business suit worn over an indigo button up, and his hair is slightly disheveled due to the wind. Dino would guess him to be anywhere between twenty and twenty five years old.

Years later, he'll look back on this day and wonder what, exactly, he'd been thinking, opening himself up even the tiniest bit to his once-protege; then, he'll shake his head and smile, ruefully, because it had probably been inevitable. Now, however, perhaps from the sudden shock, perhaps from something else, he says, "We have green tea," despite the fact that they'd never served anything other than alcohol and that the tea he's referring to was bought with his own meager wage for _him _to consume.

"I suppose that will suffice," the mafioso (because he's sure that's what he is, new life or not) acquiesces, perching himself on the bar stool directly in front of Dino, and the bartender scrambles to find the kettle (lodged behind the spare cocktail maker in the lower cabinet) and the box of tea bags he'd purchased a few weeks ago in a fit of nostalgia (wedged between some crackers and hot chocolate in the pantry.)

Under Hibari's watchful eye, the blonde fills the electric kettle with water, plugs it in, and turns it on. One of the remaining customers then orders another beer for himself and his companion, so Dino takes care of them during the wait, very much aware of his old friend's unwavering attention. He'd considered the possibility of the others remembering something - anything - from their previous lives, but he's never asked, and no one's ever revealed as much - to him, at the very least.

He dismisses the notion when he returns to his place behind the bar and doesn't read any recognition in the other man's eyes; as unreadable as Hibari normally is, Dino would think that _some _emotion would leak through regarding something as impossible as reincarnation.

Neither of them attempt a conversation - Dino, because he doesn't even know what he _would_ say, and Hibari, because the man has never been one for small talk (especially with strangers), anyway - so the barkeep merely dries glasses until the kettle switches off. He puts away those dishes, pulls out a (_his_) tea cup, rinses it out with some of the boiling water, and places a tea bag in it. He then pours water into the cup and slides it over to the man.

"Here you go," He says, unnecessarily. "We don't have any sugar or milk, so I'm afraid you're going to have to drink it plain." The Hibari he remembers had always taken the drink that way, but a change in preference could simply be one of the alterations between lifetimes.

"Hmm," The man murmurs, as the clear water slowly changes color. The obvious dissatisfaction from earlier has given way to contemplation, and Dino is suddenly reminded that the majority of Americans prepare a sad attempt at proper tea (at least, compared to the rest of the world) and that his ability to make even a decent cup of it could possibly ensure future visits.

_Crap_, he thinks, and then realizes that Hibari works out of this country (probably), so he tells himself not to worry over nothing. The rest of the black-haired man's stay is spent in more silence, and Dino can admit, reluctantly, that the companionship is a nice change of pace. Everyone else has left by the time Hibari finishes his tea, and the blonde is simply waiting for the man to leave to close down for the night.

"It's on the house," Dino blurts out when he notices the man reaching for his wallet. Hibari raises an eyebrow at him, and he hastily explains, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "We don't actually serve tea here. You looked like you _really_ needed some, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to make you a cup. Besides, I don't even know if I _can_ charge you."

Embarrassingly enough, the mafioso continues to stare at him, as if trying to pick him apart and unlock all his secrets. _Good luck_, he thinks wearily. The impromptu stare down is interrupted by a shout from his manager, and Dino looks away for a moment to address the man. When he turns back around, he finds a vacated bar stool, an empty tea cup, and five dollars.

(A few days later, with burning cheeks, Dino orders a few boxes of high quality green tea from an online Japanese tea shop. He grumbles irritably to himself and mourns the loss of half of his paycheck.)

::

The next time Hibari walks into the hovel of a bar that is Dino's workplace, it's almost a month later, and the blonde has all but forgotten their brief exchange; for him, it was only one of a million interactions, and regardless, he knows how to keep his mind off of wants and regrets. (A lesser man might have gone insane; as it is, he's not quite sure he hasn't already.)

It's busier at this time of day - not as chaotic as happy hour, but still disorderly enough to distract Dino from his old friend's arrival and subsequent seating at the bar. He's just sent off the last enthusiastic patron with a mug of frosted beer when he spots the man, once again dressed to the nines and practically radiating annoyance at the crowded room.

"Hey, what can I get you?" He asks, because he's supposed to. _"What do you think you're doing, appearing in my life again?" _He doesn't ask, because that's a crazy question, and his heart is pounding hard enough as it is.

He knows the answer before it comes out of the man's mouth, but he's still marginally surprised all the same. "Green tea," Hibari requests in a tone that makes it clear it's really a demand.

"I already told you; we don't serve that here," is another thing he doesn't say. Instead, inexplicably, he nods and begins the process of boiling the water, all the while protesting to himself in his mind.

He fiddles with his bow tie as they wait, feeling slightly ridiculous wearing professional attire in such a casual, rundown pub, and envies the man across from him for looking entirely too comfortable in his formal suit before realizing how childish that is and placing his attention on the customer who walks in.

He recognizes the middle-aged man immediately, for he is one of the regulars the blonde has grown to like. Despite the graying hair, his face holds a boyish charm that makes him seem years younger, especially as he smiles and calls out cheerfully, "Dino, hey! How's it going?"

He grins back, the customer's happiness infectious, and only spares a glance at Hibari and the still boiling water before going over to greet the man. "Glad you finally decided to drop in, James," He answers back teasingly, both of them fully aware of the fact that the man stops by nearly every Friday.

"Heh, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were looking forward to my visits." His eyes sparkle with mischief, and Dino lets out a laugh, even as he pulls out the man's usual mixture and begins mixing it together.

Winking, he divulges, "You got me." Throwing the bottle up in the air and catching it behind his back - child's play compared to fighting with a whip or any of the other weapons he's wielded - followed by a few other neat tricks, he finishes the drink and slides it over to James, bowing graciously to the cheering of the other customers a beat later.

He feels a familiar burning gaze and swivels to the left, catching piercing ocean blue eyes, and in that moment, it's only the two of them, staring at one another, and Dino gets the sudden urge to -

The trance is broken when a person at the back of the bar coughs loudly, and the blonde hastily moves to make Hibari's green tea, heart once again beating frantically. _What am I even doing?_ He muses despondently. He uses the new, higher quality tea bags (If Hibari notices, he doesn't comment on it) and places it in front of the man.

The mafioso gingerly lifts the glass to his lips and tastes it, apparently deeming it adequate. The pleasant aroma wafting from the cup brings about of a sense of longing in the bartender, and he shakes his head to clear it. He peers down at the end of the bar, and upon seeing that James has engaged in conversation with another customer, a bubble of irritation wells up inside of him. _Someone save me from this awkwardness_, he pleads silently.

"Dino, is it?" A smooth voice cuts through his thoughts, and he looks to its source. Hibari Kyouya is pinning him with the eyes of a predator, and he resists the urge to squeak in surprise. _I'm like a million years older than him, _he assures himself. _He__ doesn't scare me._

"Uh, yes?" He manages, attempting to surreptitiously back away, because that little voice inside his head isn't fooling anybody. It hits him that Hibari has just said his name, and just as suddenly, he realizes that James had practically announced it when he'd entered the room. _Damn you, James!_

Just then, Hibari's phone rings, and it must be from someone important (Tsuna, perhaps) because he gives it a look of utter disdain but still stands to leave. He pulls out his wallet, and Dino hurries to correct the situation.

"Like I said before, we don't normally serve tea here, so you don't need to pay me." He hesitates and then adds, "If you want to find a place that serves _good_ tea, I'd suggest an Asian restaurant."

The man pauses and levels him with another _look_, and Dino's treacherous cheeks heat up visibly. Hibari smirks at him, then, and leaves money on the counter before walking away, pressing the phone to his ear as he does so.

"I'll bite you to death," Dino hears the man threaten venomously just as the door closes behind him.

_Why are you so damn cryptic, Hibari?! _He bemoans to no one in particular.

::

He's out shopping one day (because he was forced to take a day off by Ben, the bar's owner; apparently, the old man had 'grown sick' of Dino's face. He interprets this as: 'you need to get out more often', which is honestly just as insulting even if it _is_ true), and his eye catches on a weather worn bull whip in the window of an antique shop.

_I'll just take a quick peek at it_, he thinks with resolve.

Ten minutes later, he walks out with a new weapon and a thinner wallet, thoroughly disgusted with himself. Half an hour later, he practices with it in his one bedroom apartment and manages to break the only lamp he owns. He hadn't expected he'd still be able to aim so well considering it had quite literally been decades since he'd touched a whip, but perhaps lessons learned from his old tutor cannot be forgotten so easily.

He works up a sweat and a tiredness in his very bones that is pleasantly familiar and yet a painful reminder of days long past. He attempts one last thing before putting the fine leather away, pulse rising in anticipation.

His hand glows a fiery orange, and Dino smiles wistfully.

::

There's a light dusting of snow on the ground by the time Hibari returns, and the entire bar is warmed by a fire Dino stokes every once in a while. The room is flooded with out-of-towners come to visit their families and locals celebrating their vacation time with cocktails and martinis, so the noise level is higher than usual.

Ben doesn't see the need to decorate the place what with the whole block lit up with Christmas lights and various other holiday trinkets, but he didn't say no to the two waitresses he'd hired (just for this busy season) when they'd asked to bring odds and ends from home. Under their guidance, the decrepit, old bar seemed less like a crime scene and more like a respectable (if not, somewhat tacky) establishment.

The girls, Stacey and Alyssa, even changed up their wardrobes to fit the season. Pointy ears, green striped stockings beneath their uniform skirts, and green hats transformed them into beautiful elves. They insisted that Dino wear antlers and a fluffy tail clipped to the back of his apron, and he capitulated, unable to bring himself to ruin their fun just because _he_ didn't feel much like celebrating anything. (After being hit by their double puppy-dog eyes, he understands why even his boss had caved to their whims.)

He's just served his umpteenth bourbon eggnog to a tipsy grandma when he hears an enthused shout of "Let's celebrate to the extreme!" that could only have come from the mouth of one person. Not a moment later, Sasagawa Ryohei steps into view, his suit ruffled and his eyes burning with excitement. He makes his way toward Dino, and it's then that the blonde finally notices the boxer's companion.

"Let's get extremely drunk, Kyouya!" Ryohei proposes as he slides into one of the bar stools.

From his own seat, Hibari reminds him, disdainfully, "I don't drink alcohol, herbivore."

"Then, why did you invite me to a bar, bastard?!" The orange-clad man demands, indignant. Dino can't help but think he has a good point.

Utterly unrepentant, his old student rebuts, "I didn't invite you anywhere; you followed me of your own accord."

"Agh! You piss me off so much!" Ryohei growls, standing up and assuming a standard boxing position. "I'll wipe that smug look of your face! Fight me, Kyouya!"

Not looking the least bit worried, Hibari says, "Stop acting like a fool. I'll bite you to death when we return to Japan."

"Alright!" He agrees and then plops back down on the stool. Abruptly, he faces Dino, who had been quite obviously watching the entire interaction, and orders in only slightly accented English, "Bartender! I'd like a beer to the extreme!"

It's only then that he realizes the exchange between Hibari and Ryohei had been entirely in Japanese, which he, of course, understands perfectly - but _they_ wouldn't know that. Dino would like to have pretended not to understand anything they'd said, but Hibari's sudden scrutiny most likely means the man knows the blonde had caught most of it, if not every word. _I'm not interesting! _He screams inwardly.

"Okay. And you?" He asks blandly, resigned to the man's complete disregard for his protests.

The smirk he receives in response is really annoying; he can feel his eye twitching. Smugly, Hibari replies, "I would like a green tea, _Dino_."

* * *

**Notes: **I don't even know what I'm writing. *flails haplessly* Nevertheless, if I ever bring myself to finish this, it'll be posted as a one-shot. Let me know if you want to see more!

_(Why is romance so hard to write? *sobs inconsolably in a corner*)_


	6. When I Doubt, You're My Belief

_**"Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun." **_

_**\- Christina Rossetti**_

* * *

**Story: When I Doubt, You're My Belief**

**Summary: Sakura goes back in time via a super secret time-travel-y jutsu and strives to save the world and all that good stuff - only this time around, "she" is a "he." Parody. Time Travel. No Pairings.**

**Category: Naruto**

* * *

**I.**

"-and the members of Team 7 are Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke... and Haruno Byakuran," Iruka manages to get the words out with only a brief hiccup, and none of the students realize anything is amiss. He patiently counters Naruto's increasingly petulant protests, all the while eying the boy's teammates with no small amount of wariness.

He hadn't had much of an input in the team assignments, unfortunately. His own reports about their academic performances and temperaments and what not had been collected throughout the year, of course, and the higher ups had certainly taken them into consideration. Ultimately, however, the decision was up to them, and he can spot their influence all of over _this_ team's makeup.

The last Uchiha, the jinchuuriki, and the civilian prodigy – On paper, it sounds like the ideal team. With Sasuke's Sharingan and clan techniques, Naruto's overwhelming chakra and loyalty to the village, and Byakuran's intelligence and competence, Team 7 _should _have the potential for greatness.

"But Sasuke-teme is just gonna drag me down! And Flower Boy doesn't ever _do_ anything! How am I supposed to become Hokage like this, Iruka-sensei?!" Naruto bellows, pointing accusingly at the aforementioned boys. Byakuran has his nose buried in an advanced book (on medical jutsu, of course; the kid's been studying techniques far above his peers since he'd joined the Academy), and Sasuke has his patented scowl directed firmly at the window. Neither of them seem to be paying any attention to Naruto's perceived crisis.

Resisting the urge to rub his temples to ward off the oncoming headache, he frowns at the boy and points out sternly, "The Hokage has to be able to work well with _every_one, Naruto – not just the people he likes. You're never going to have your face on that mountain if you can't even do _this_ without acting like a child."

The boy's face falls – and Iruka feels a twinge of guilt; he'd only _just_ gotten Naruto to open up to him – but his grin is back in full force as he declares loudly, banging a hand on the desk, "Alright! I don't care _who's_ on my team 'cause we're gonna be the best! And _I'm _gonna become Hokage one day. Believe it!"

Sasuke snorts derisively, and Kiba begins to taunt him while the others simply roll their eyes at his big words. Iruka smiles fondly at him, inwardly wondering at _his_ ability to pretend this kid wasn't just a normal, hardworking student for so many years when it's so blatantly obvious. He grimaces as the room is overcome with bickering and quickly regains control when he threatens to hold them back in his class for another year.

He smiles brightly at all of their worried, little faces – almost all of them, that is. Naruto, frankly, looks outraged. Sasuke has turned his death glare up to maximum power. (If the boy ever makes it to jounin, Iruka _might_ be inclined to quiver in his sandals. For now, he simply finds it adorable, if not humorous.) Byakuran, however, is simply regarding his peers with barely concealed amusement.

Iruka moves onto the rest of the teams, but he continues to muse over the topic of team 7. On _paper_, it's the wonder team of the entire graduating class, even including the other two teams comprised of future clan heads. In _reality_, the three of them are more likely to fail their sensei's test or - if by some miracle, they manage to pass – be utterly incapable of completing _D-Ranks_. Sasuke is entirely too haughty and full of himself to deign to work with the other two, Naruto will probably spend most of his time picking fights with Sasuke, and Byakuran will most likely ignore the both of them and focus solely on his own training, as he is wont to do.

It's a walking disaster, and Iruka _almost_ pities the fool who has to deal with them – only considering what fool it _is_, he's more concerned about his students' well-beings, which, honestly, says it all.

Clearly, the Council is plotting the destruction of its own village or, at the very least, attempting to drive its people into insanity.

* * *

**A/N: "Byakuran" means "White Orchid", by the way. (I kind of stole it from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Sorry not sorry. xD) The idea is that Sakura goes back in time, but she somehow changes gender in the transition. Sound familiar? It happens to Naruto in fics all the time. I don't ever read those, actually, but I still kind of wanted to see one where it happened to Sakura. Also, she's born with her dad's white hair, hence the name.**

**Anyway, this one's probably going to be a one-shot (_if I ever get around to it_) 'cause I have enough on-going fics on my plate as it is. And even as I'm posting this, I'm falling out of love with this 'style', so the final draft might be completely different, even if the idea is the same.**

**Let me know if you want to see more! (For any of the fics on here, of course!) :D**


	7. Where My Demons Hide

**Title: **Where My Demons Hide

**Summary: **Naruto and Sakura die on their first mission outside of the village, and Sasuke, grief-stricken, is quick to join them. Then he wakes up again, on the day before they set out, as if it had never happened. (OR: Team 7 develops a formidable reputation, and Sasuke learns what it means to be strong.) Time Loop. No Pairings.**  
**

**Category: **Naruto

* * *

_"When you feel my heat, look into my eyes, it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide." _

* * *

**\- **Sasuke has finally become a genin, an official shinobi, so now he's on the fast track to enacting revenge on That Man, right? His not-a-dream is put on hold, however, when his teammates die right before his eyes on their first C-Rank mission. He has but a moment to take in the horrible reality before he joins them in death - only to wake up again, the day of that godforsaken mission, alive but no longer whole.

\- In which Sasuke does everything he can to keep his teammates-comrades-FRIENDS alive, regardless of his own well-being. He has no way of knowing which 'reset' will be the last, so every one has to count.

\- In which he slowly, oh so slowly comes to the realization that the only way to keep his loved ones alive is to **_stay with them_** and, ultimately, abandon his ambition. He's sure that his parents, that his Clan, would have wanted that, for him to become a strong shinobi and to proudly uphold and represent the noble Uchiha name - not for him to succumb to his despair and anger or to blindly follow in That Man's footsteps in committing familicide.

\- In which Team 7 becomes a formidable force in their own right, with a remarkable track record of no deaths - and sometimes, barely a scratch - given the hazards of their seemingly inevitably botched missions.

\- In which Naruto and Sakura are (at first) bewildered when Sasuke's frigid glares and standoffish attitude morph into begrudging tolerance, exasperation, and not-so-well hidden fondness - but they eventually take the change as the gift - peace offering? - it is and begin to open themselves up to him and to each other, sharing in insecurities, memories, and idle chatter.

\- In which Kakashi knows that something is odd about his arrogant and revenge-driven student, especially when those two traits seem to disappear almost entirely without warning. He can feel that something is terribly wrong when he looks in the boy's - child's - eyes and sees death. (And sometimes during the repeats, he gets the gist of it, of Sasuke's burden, whenever one or both of his students meets a terrible fate and the Uchiha doesn't even seem fazed, only resigned, regretful, and determined - to save them? He thinks so.)

\- In which the world is saved (and destroyed) time and again, not because Sasuke has any interest in doing so (although he's gotten so, _so _sick of death and needless fighting that that statement isn't quite true anymore) but because his idiot of a best friend has some sort of hero complex, and Sasuke must be the _bigger idiot_ because he follows Naruto into trouble willingly. (He can't very well leave him alone, can he? Naruto's deaths are always worse, somehow, when Sasuke isn't there to witness them. And he always, always dies.)

\- In which Itachi seeks Sasuke out on his own, and the younger of them learns the truth (over and over again), but _no matter how many times he stabs himself_, _he doesn't wake up before the battle. _It turns out to be the one thing - other than the massacre - that he can't change. Afterward, he cries for himself, for his brother, and for their parents, and then he doesn't allow himself to shed any tears, anymore.

(His stupid, wonderful teammates crowd around him, cry with him, and apologize for things they didn't have any control over.

"Shut up," He mumbles from within their warm embrace. His voice comes out softer than he means it to.

Kakashi, whom had been standing and keeping a silent vigil over the three of them, merely smiles at him, gentle and amused.)

\- In which Tobi-Madara turns out to be Obito, his sensei's old, supposed-to-be-dead teammate. Kakashi had regaled them with stories of his genin team, and Obito had always been regarded with the utmost respect and an almost child-like hero-worship that Sasuke hadn't exactly thought healthy - but who was he to judge, really? He sees none of that man in _this one_, and he tells his horrorstruck teacher as much. He expects a fight to the death (and gets one, many, but it never seems right, does it), but Naruto and Kakashi and even Sakura manage to convince the man to give up his plans of world domination (Sasuke knows that's not it _exactly_, but it's all the same to him.)

The three of them are soft and yet somehow much, much stronger than he or Obito could ever be, he muses quietly to himself.

\- In which the shinobi villages come to the brink of war through the combined efforts of Madara (the real one, this time) and Orochimaru, only to be averted by Konoha's best and brightest, meaning, of course, Team 7 and the rest of the Twelve. (And maybe Obito and the jounin and Sannin, but mostly the younger generation.)

\- In which Sasuke's loved ones (which has grown to include a lot more people) still die on occasion, but he is always there to change their fates. It's a gift and a curse, and he's lived the same days more than he count - but it's all worth it in the end, isn't it?

* * *

_"Don't get too close; it's dark inside. It's where my demons hide; it's where my demons hide."_

* * *

**Notes: **Okay, so I know there's a lot of stuff I haven't covered here, and I'll probably add more details later. However, as of this moment, I like this as is - enough to post it, at least. I only started brainstorming this yesterday (on my phone, no less) and typed it up just now, so please excuse mistakes.

The idea came to me and wouldn't leave, but I didn't feel up to actually writing a full-fledged chapter/fic. So here's this, which is the gist of it. I want to write a time loop fic with Sasuke wherein he grows as a shinobi and as a person and becomes close to Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi (and eventually others.) It has the potential for a _ton _of angst (and there will be some), but I'm going to try my best to keep it light and happy.

If you want to see this as an actual fic, then let me know! And if you want to bounce ideas off of me or suggest something, do that, too! Thanks for reading. :D

[Title and words in italic come from "Demons" by Imagine Dragons.]


	8. A House Divided

**Title: **A House Divided

**Summary:** When Itachi is given the impossibly difficult decision to either betray his Clan or betray the village, he carves his own path instead. The fate of Konoha lies solely within the hands of the adults responsible now. (OR: Itachi takes Sasuke and abandons ship, and they grow stronger together.) No Pairings. AU.

**Category: **Naruto

**Quote: **_"A house divided_ _against itself cannot stand." _\- Abraham Lincoln

* * *

\- In which Itachi has grown tired of the manipulations and corruption running rampant within his own Clan and the upper echelons of the village and their incessant arguing over boundaries and imagined slights and age-old grudges when there are very real problems going ignored - child soldiers and tensions between villages and _so much unnecessary death._

He watches this with carefully concealed judgement and plans of averting the oncoming storm with Shisui; he just needs to play the fields, gather the right intel, smooth the ruffled feathers. He can tolerate his father's disappointment and the expectations placed upon him, as long as it amounts to _something._

And then Shisui moves without him, _abandons him, _and the Clan becomes wary of him, accusatory and hostile and he thinks, _What are we trying to save?  
_

\- In which Danzo forces his hand, offers him an ultimatum, and _threatens Sasuke_ with the smug, cat-that-caught-the-canary not-quite-smirk he only flashes to Itachi behind the Sandaime's back.

(Save the Clan? Save the village?

What choice does he have that will end in the least amount of bloodshed?

No. What choice will end in the least amount of trauma for Sasuke?

He almost smiles. There's really no choice at all.)

\- In which Itachi packs and plans and waits until the right moment. When it arrives, he grabs a sleeping Sasuke and leaves the village, with no one the wiser. He doesn't look back.

\- In which he teaches Sasuke everything he knows and things he picks up along the way. Itachi is a child prodigy, and Sasuke soaks in the knowledge in a way that Itachi knows means he's not the only one. It's comforting. He won't always be there to protect his little brother, but maybe he won't have to be.

\- In which Itachi becomes an S-Ranked criminal - a missing nin - and he almost snorts in derisive amusement. Would his life have been any different had he taken Danzo's carefully laid out paths? Dead or marked a criminal, but with a scarred sibling left behind with nothing but questions and festering hatred. (Because Itachi would have had to lie to him, convince him of his treachery, made him come after Itachi in the hopes that when Sasuke finally defeated him, there'd be no one else out there who could harm his little brother.)

\- In which Sasuke doesn't understand, completely, why they'd had to flee their home, their Clan, but the tired, somber expression his nii-san gets whenever Sasuke even mentions it quells his curiosity, for now. It _must_ be bad if it can make his invincible older brother look like an old man.

\- In which Sasuke grows up to become a frightening enemy in his own right (because he made a promise to himself that he'd surpass his nii-san, didn't he? So maybe he'll become the protector, become _useful_, because the enemies are only going to keep coming, and his brother can only take so much on his own.)

\- In which the Leaf is left trying to calm the threat of the Uchiha without their double agent, and likewise, the Clan is left staggering and split into different factions when their Clan's future Head and his brother suddenly disappear without warning. What results is a shaky alliance, lots of tension in the air, and the other Clans beginning to take notice.

* * *

**Notes: Here's another idea that's been bugging me. As you can see, I don't really have anything planned out yet.**


	9. where the spirits fly (and never die)

**Title: **where the spirits fly (and never die)**  
**

**Summary: **Minato exchanged his life for the use of Reaper Death Seal. Such deals go deeper than death. (OR: Minato is a Guardian Angel.) Wingfic. No Pairings. AU.

**Category: **Naruto

**Title: **"Haunted" by Skylar Grey

* * *

\- The shinigami he'd summoned appoints him as a guardian angel - or bodyguard or undead babysitter; the entity doesn't care much for that title. It's Minato who prefers the term - to the son he'd died to protect. His life was exchanged for the use of the Reaper Death Seal, and that includes his afterlife is well. He is assured that his wife is safe - in what the shinigami says is the place souls go to rest and what the mortals refer to as heaven - and that he'll see her again, once his duty is done. Minato carefully doesn't ask when that might be, suspecting the answer with an unpleasant twinge in his chest already.

\- Nothing has changed appearance-wise except for the addition of two almost blindingly white wings that, once fully extended, are as tall as him and at least three feet in width. They curve down, with the longest of his feathers almost-but-not-quite touching the floor. They are nearly see-through and incredibly light. There is no strain on his back at all, and they feel like an extension of himself, as if they'd been there all along and Minato had only just taken notice of them. He flexes them with barely a thought, and they respond easily. Childlike wonder fills his face as he takes flight, and he laughs.

\- Time flows differently outside of the natural world, and his precious baby boy is no longer a baby when he finally returns to him. He is a ball of energy at six years old, loud and cheerful and talkative and with a grin that lights up the room. Minato is surely not biased when he notices these things, only observant.

\- He quickly realizes that, rather than be lauded as a hero for stopping the Nine Tails from ravaging the village, his son is instead treated with suspicion and mistrust and hatred. Minato regards these sneering civilians - and Shinobi - with cold fury. His wings flare threateningly, and his mind runs through scenarios that will most efficiently handle the situation.

\- It is human nature to want to place the blame upon someone or something else, but it is common sense! that without Naruto, there'd be no village left! What did Minato die for, what did he leave Naruto for, if this is the way his own son is being treated?

\- He wraps his arms around a sniffling Naruto, and without conscious thought, his wings curl around the both of them, comfort and protectiveness and love emanating from him in waves. Naruto doesn't react outwardly, but he eventually does pull himself together, a small smile on his face.

\- Naruto, throughout his life, has always felt a steady presence next to him, unseen and unheard, but he knows he's not imagining the feeling of belonging and comfort that seems to cling to him, especially when he is in any way upset. And he's not imagining the lack of tormentors or bullies that had always seemed to hone in on his location as soon as he so much as stepped outside. And he's not imagining the gentle but firm shove he'd felt when he'd hesitated in going after Sasuke-teme, uncertain in a way that isn't like him at all.

(He had gone after him, then, taking the encouragement as his own strength and chasing after the boy and doggedly chasing some more, until the kid finally acknowledged him. They become almost inseparable, leaching onto each others' insecurities and doubts and loneliness. Naruto may always feel that presence, but it's just _that_ \- a presence. It's not tangible, not someone he can talk to or hug back or confide in. Sasuke is all of those things and more because he _understands_.)

\- Minato approves.

* * *

**Notes: **So this probably won't be more than one chapter, and even then, it'll most likely be short. Still, though, I like imagining Minato watching over Naruto, and I kind of need some fluffiness right now. Let me know if you'd like to see it! ^w^


	10. lay us down (we're in love)

**Title: **lay us down (we're in love) - Panic! At The Disco

**Original Prompt: **Sitting-next-to-each-other-on-a-long-bus-ride AU

**Summary: **Minato's new school involves a long commute via train, and only one other person shares it with him. Minato/Akihiko. AU. [still working on the summary, actually]

**Category: **Persona 3**  
**

* * *

You stifle a yawn as you board the train, blearily taking in the empty car. It seems, much as you'd expected, that this trip just might be a solitary one. You shrug and then drop into the seat nearest to you, settling in for the two hour commute. It can't be helped that your mother is attached to the countryside. If it makes her happy, you're certainly not going to put up a fuss.

You adjust your earphones absentmindedly, as soothing jazz blocks out the rattling of the train. Your mother's beloved view zooms by through the window, only interrupted by the various men and women going about their daily lives. You close your eyes and turn up the volume, leaning your head against the back of the seat.

You realize you are no longer alone instantly, some mysterious voice in your head imparting the knowledge to you, and you heed the warning. Your gaze immediately lands upon the new arrival, another high school student, whom regards you with some surprise. Perhaps it is because he, like you, had expected to be welcomed with a vacant car.

You nod a greeting to him, and the action seems to break him out of his daze. He returns it with a little wave and then sits opposite you, his expression mildly curious, but after a moment, he pulls out his phone, apparently losing interest.

You are grateful for the lack of questions. Listening to others is always fascinating, but you prefer not to speak much, if at all. Regardless, you survey the other occupant, from his red vest and the bandage on his face to the boxing gloves sticking out of his bag and the hint of toned muscles in his arms. Boxer, obviously, and a dedicated one at that. Senior, most likely - going by the uniform, from Gekkoukan, one of the schools you'd considered but ultimately decided against.

You position yourself more comfortably and shut your eyes, allowing the music to wash over you once more. You know when the car is empty again the same way you'd known when it wasn't. The voice might have concerned you, but it has only been helpful so far. You are not one to panic easily in any case.

It warns you of your own stop, and so begins your first day in your new school.

.::.

You don't see him again after school, and you attribute this to club activities.

You receive a message from another boy you'd met today, Junpei, and you type an appropriate response. The start of a friendship? Perhaps. You have never been particularly close to anyone before, but you're not disinclined to start now. Yukari, the girl in the seat next to you, had also seemed interesting, and her interactions with Junpei had been rather amusing.

Already this school year looks promising.

.::.

Your morning commute has become somewhat of a comforting routine, especially in light of your newly occupied afternoons interacting with the numerous people you'd come to know over the past few weeks.

You'd met Kenji in your class, and you'd encouraged him to pursue his love interest. Then came Kazushi, whom had warmed up to you after you'd helped out the kendo team, and Yuko, whom had bounced along beside him. The boy had been impressed by your skill and had asked you to join, but you'd quit and had no intention of returning.

Bebe somehow convinced you to sew with him. The boy is a ball of excitement and wide-eyed wonder, and you find him endearing. There is also the couple that owns the bookstore near the station, and you've spent some time with them as well, happily helping out.

Your excursions generally leave you either mentally or physically exhausted as you fight to stay awake on the way home, and you are often joined by men and women returning home from work. You attempt drown the world out, but you can still feel the tension and stress radiating off of the others around you in waves.

In comparison, the train ride to school is calm and quiet, save for the music you play for your ears alone. Your companion generally acknowledges you with a friendly, neutral gesture that you mirror, and the two of you are content with your unspoken rule to not speak. It is nice.

.::.

You absolutely do not want to do this. You tell him so.

"Please, Minato!" Kazushi begs, hands clasped together and eyes intent. "You'd only have to come in a few times - promise!" You start to waver (_only a few times?)_, and the other boy must notice this because he presses on, "The freshmen really look up to you, and they'd _definitely_ improve if it was you coaching them!"

You outwardly sigh, and Kaz grins victoriously. "Thanks, man! Knew I could count on you!"

You wave a hand dismissively, and he leaves to go tell the team the good news. You frown a bit, torn between wanting to help the struggling kouhai and missing out on your peaceful mornings. You suppose you'll just have to go along with it for now.

You spare a thought for your silent train compatriot, but you are certain he wouldn't worry over your absence. Regardless, you'll only be gone a few days.

.::.

You are gone for longer than a few days. Apparently, there had been a misunderstanding, and the head coach had wanted you to spend at least two weeks on the freshmen. You do not blame Kaz for the mix-up, nor the head coach for asking. You are merely glad that the impromptu training camp is now over, and you are looking forward to that cozy, still car and the two hour journey in blessed silence.

You do not get that, either.

"Where have you been?" The boy asks you as soon as he steps inside the train, clearly concerned. It is the first time you have heard his voice, and you find it to be surprisingly pleasant.

Realizing the boy is actually awaiting an answer, you remove an ear-bud and explain succinctly, "Kendo practice."

"Oh," He says, and then awkwardly adds, as he claims his usual seat across from you, "My name is Akihiko Sanada. I'm a third year at Gekkoukan."

You regard him with a sharp gaze, and amusingly enough, he seems to become even more uncomfortable. You might as well see where the boy, Akihiko, is going with this; you recognize the body language of someone looking for conversation, as you well should after the past few weeks. You relax your face into its default expression, put away your remaining earphone, and offer, "Minato Arisato, second year at Yasogami."

Akihiko takes the opening for what it is, and smiling a bit now, he asks, "So you're in the Kendo club?"

You suppose the boy _would _be interested in that. You shake your head and correct him, "I was only helping out some first years."

_Hikitate-geiko _is usually performed with a senior actually _in _the club, but you are far above anyone at this school, thanks entirely to your rivalry with Mamoru Hayase. The boy had been serious about training in the hopes of getting picked up by a scout and becoming a professional in order to take the load off of his family, and you'd challenged him every step of the way for that very reason. He had successfully done so by the time you'd transferred, and he'd promised to call you every once in awhile with updates.

It had been fun, faithfully attending club practice for someone else's sake, for a good cause, but you do not intend to do so again. Dropping by only occasionally is more than enough for you. Your opinion has only been reinforced after spending so many mornings the last couple of weeks dragging yourself out of bed much too early and having to repeat yourself to energetic freshmen.

Akihiko doesn't know any of this, of course, and you don't enlighten him. However, you do clarify, "I quit."

"Oh," He says again, after a pause. He then divulges, "I'm the captain of the boxing club." Ah. Your initial impression was spot on, after all.

You suspect the senior has difficulty accepting your nonchalance towards Kendo considering his obvious passion for boxing, but you are glad he does not question your motives. You owe him no explanation, and you are not willing to give one. You do not respond to the statement, either, and the boy doesn't push. The conversation ends as abruptly as it had begun, and you replace your earphones in the ensuing silence.

* * *

**Notes: GAH! I'm just like- where do I go with this? I haven't pursued any of the romances in the game, so I'm not sure how Minato canonically becomes romantic with anyone. (He's so stoic!) And I don't have the version with Minako, so I don't know how _Akihiko _romances, either. It's just a mess. OTL I've been stuck on this one part for a few days, so to WNB it goes. Oh! And I haven't exactly finished the game (even if I already know the ending), so please don't spoil anything! Thanks! ^w^**


	11. Snippets!

**Notes: **These are a few snippets/ideas that haven't been fleshed out, but I'm still fond of them and felt like sharing. Enjoy.

* * *

**Concept: Minato travels/wakes up in an alternate universe - The Avengers 'verse - upon his death.**

**Category: Naruto/The Avengers Crossover**

He ends up in America and quickly figures out that there isn't any chakra in the air - meaning whenever he uses jutsu, rather than dispersing in the air, the energy returns to his body - the only thing able to contain it in this new world. So that means chakra exhaustion is pretty much not an issue to him at this point.

He learns English and seamlessly blends into the American society. After all, he is a shinobi, and they pride themselves on their adaptability and survival skills even in foreign environments. He IS a genius. He grieves for his wife and his son - knowing that he won't be able to meet them again for awhile - and then he moves on. Dwelling on what he's lost won't bring any of it back.

He comes to understand that technology in this new world is highly advanced, well beyond that of the simple tech he's used to. The machines seem to be able to do what his world's people had used seals for - such as the hospital. The air is polluted and stings his nose during the beginning, until he grows used to that, too. The world is overrun with civilians, even in the country's military. In fact, he believes there aren't any otherworldly powers such as his for most of his stay - that is, until a brilliant man named Tony Stark builds a robotic suit and assumes the persona of Ironman.

Then, like a domino effect, super powered beings begin revealing themselves, one after the other, and Minato, well, he's interested.

.

.

.

**Concept: Minato travels/wakes up in an alternate universe.**

**Category: Naruto**

He wakes up in an AU of his own world with a rather noticeable difference - Minato Namikaze never existed.

The overall events are the same, but the details differ. For one, the Fourth Hokage is Orochimaru - and not the sleazy, amoral man of canon, but the man he had been in the beginning and had shown a glimpse of at the end. Tsunade and Jiraiya are together, and although the man still travels and keeps tabs on his information network, they make it work. Tsunade is the Head Medic, but she has her own genin team - even if they're all jounin now. They are, all of them, close-knit and companionable.

Kushina married a different man and died giving birth to Naruto, whom Jiraiya sealed the Kyuubi into with her permission. Her husband was killed on a mission not long afterwards.

Minato wakes up to this bizarre world, de-aged and orphaned, and he takes it all in with grim acceptance. His wife had died with him, but he has the chance to watch over their son - who IS their son, alternate reality or not - and keep him safe. He just hadn't counted on endearing himself to countless other people in the process.

.

.

.

**Concept: Sasuke is the personification of fire.**

**Category: Naruto**

Sasuke is the personification of fire, and it takes being bitten (marked) by a snake of a man to remember as much.

He knows this: He is twelve, and he is the sole survivor of his Clan's massacre. It's his life's ambition to destroy the man responsible.

He knows this: He is ancient, both older than existence and younger than its creators, and he was murdered by his father as a newborn. It's his life's ambition to destroy the god responsible.

He realizes this: He is no longer bound to his duties. He is human, now - a human with inhuman abilities, but a human all the same.

He realizes this: He is inordinately fond of the children who make up his "team", as well as the man who watches over them. Perhaps his skills can be put to good use.

* * *

**Notes: **Uhhhh? Don't judge me for that last one. I'm not entirely sure where I was going with it, but I found it in my notes. Except for perhaps the middle one, I'll probably scrap these. If anyone else would like to use them, be my guest. I'd just like to know when/where you post it, so I can read it! :D**  
**


	12. More Plot Bunnies

**Title: **n/a

**Summary: **Just a bunch of plot bunnies, actually.

**Category: **Naruto

* * *

**Flirty/Friendly!Sasuke**:

He charms his fan girls (and boys!) by flashing smiles and with cheesy lines, and it's all just a tactic to keep them at a distance. And he'll still be the top of the class, but there won't be so much resentment towards him.

Maybe because Itachi is stoic and antisocial and Sasuke wants to be nothing like him?

He decides he's going to do the opposite of what Itachi wants him to do: make tons of close friends and become stronger for his own sake, not because Itachi wants Sasuke to hunt him down and kill him.

He's not going to waste time searching for and then killing him either - because why would he? Itachi will most likely come to him if the plan means so much to him, so it'll be on Sasuke's terms and he'll have the home field advantage.

As a result, Team 7 doesn't break apart, and there's a lot less hostility and in-fighting between the Konoha Twelve earlier on.

.::.

**OlderBrother!Sasuke:**

He's born first and is thus considered a prodigy, is groomed to be Clan Head, and everything. Itachi is still too mature for his age and an exceptional shinobi, but Sasuke and Mikoto team up and put their foot down when Fugaku brings up raising Itachi the same way as Sasuke.

"I won't let you. Itachi's already too mature for his age. Let him be a kid for a little while longer. I went along with it because I'm the next Clan Head, but he doesn't even have to be a shinobi if he doesn't want to be."

So Itachi enters the academy at age six and progresses at a normal rate with his peers - Sasuke won't let him skip grades.

"Make some friends, otouto. Have fun. You're going to be snatched up and put in the field as soon as you graduate, so enjoy this while you can."

He's put into the same position as Itachi was, but he's a lot more vocal about his opinions. He won't let the Uchiha rebel, but he doesn't like the village's unspoken but well known suspicions about the Clan.

He corners Sarutobi when he's alone (save for his ANBU guards) and makes his demands clear.

"We can't go on like this, Hokage-sama. My Clan is tired of our forced segregation from the village and the stigma that's surrounded us since the Kyuubi Attack." He levels the old man with a measured stare, divulging, "I'm afraid if something isn't done soon, we'll take matters into our own hands. Shisui and I are doing the best we can, but the others are getting restless."

"You would revolt?" Sarutobi surmises what had gone unsaid, mouth a grim line.

Sasuke nods. "I'd say we've got a few months, at the most."

If possible, the man's expression darkens even more. "I assume you have a plan to prevent this?"

"Promoting relations between clans, for starters. Allowing civilians and other clan members to join the Police force. Giving Uchiha more missions and putting them on teams with non-clan members. Putting civilians from Clans on the civilian committee. Removing the walls between our district and the rest of the village," Sasuke doles out the suggestions easily, having already discussed this with his family and Shisui more than a few times. "My father has approved all of it, and we both think it'll improve our standing with the village."

The Hokage had stoically smoked his pipe the entire time, but he sets it aside. Ruefully, he explains, "I'll admit, I was worried about your Clan and what you - or more specifically, your elders - might do should the situation get any worse." He folds his hands in front of him and regards Sasuke thoughtfully. "You're a good influence on your father, young man. I can only imagine how Fugaku would have reacted without your input."

He signals one of his men, who promptly appears beside him. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Get the necessary papers and bring them to me as soon as possible. Share what has been said in this room with my advisors, the Clan Heads, and the committee chairmen. We have little time to spare." Sarutobi orders decidedly, and Sasuke knows that he'll come through.

"Yes sir," Cat affirms before flickering away to fulfill the orders.

The old man then addresses him, "You have my gratitude for bringing this matter to my attention. I realize that it must not have been easy, but you may have just salvaged the entire situation." Sasuke nods in acknowledgement, and the village leader smiles gently at him. "Good work. You're dismissed."

At this, he feels as if a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He returns home and shares the good news. There is still a lot work to be done; not everyone will look upon the new arrangements so kindly, Danzo especially. However, they're on the right path, and that's more than enough for him - at least for now.

Naruto marks Itachi as his rival - but because it's Itachi, the rivalry soon turns into a friendship, one in which they train together, and he realizes that Naruto isn't unintelligent - he just doesn't learn the same way as the other kids. He learns by doing, so Itachi allows him to practice at their personal training grounds or his backyard. His grades improve drastically.

Mikoto is worried at first that their friendship will have a negative impact on the Clan - which is already under lots of suspicion - but he's Kushina's son (anyone with eyes would be able to tell; she honestly doesn't know what Sarutobi was thinking) and he's a small, lonely, lost little boy - and her youngest son is taken with him, so she welcomes him with open arms and a smile.

Fugaku allows it, especially once Sasuke, Mikoto, _and_ Shisui gang up on him with "He's a little kid" and "They're just friends; it's not like we're not adopting him" and "Itachi doesn't click with just anybody. Would you really take away his only friend?" He relents gracefully, and soon Naruto is spending the night at their house at least three times a week.

Sasuke regards him with some resignation, some fondness, and equal parts amusement and irritation - mostly because the boy pushes buttons and gets a kick out of messing with him. He thinks had they been the same age, they'd have come to blows. Nevertheless, he is fair, and he gives the kid piggyback rides when he's too tired to walk home, and he helps him with his training, and he doesn't ignore him when he's talking, nor does he dismiss the kid's dream of becoming Hokage. And he basically treats him like another brother. Itachi's quiet gratitude and Naruto's mumbled "thanks" and tiny hugs are more than enough repayment.

In the end, their plan works, and there's no coup or massacre. Danzo contacts Sasuke and threatens him, but he shuts that down real quick. He informs Sarutobi, and the old man finally holds his old teammate responsible for his crimes. He resists arrest, and that's when they find out Ne Root had been operating in secret this whole time. Eventually, Danzo is killed, and Root is taken care of. Its members who weren't loyal to him are put into a rehabilitation program wherein they rediscover themselves and their emotions. The shinobi rank grows a little bigger afterwards.

Itachi graduates at the age of twelve and ends up on a team with Naruto and a civilian girl named Sakura. Hatake Kakashi is their sensei. The first time he's over three hours late, Mikoto herself hunts him down and very politely (chillingly) asks that he has the decency to show up on time and actually train the son of his former sensei - since he'd basically abandoned him as soon as the man had died. Kakashi is never late to the Team 7 related stuff again.

.::.

**Sasuke snippet?**

He is a bright child, easily excitable and full of potential. He is born the second son to a prestigious family and the younger brother to a lauded genius. He is ambitious, competitive, and resentful and adoring in equal parts. His mother spoils him, his father disciplines him, and his brother stands before him, an obstacle to be overcome and a role model to aspire to be.

The massacre rips all of that away, breaks him and chews him up and spits the pieces back out. He gathers them up and tries to put them back together, but some parts have gone missing and others are jagged, decrepit mockeries of what they used to be. There are new pieces now, and they are dark, sinister, full of emotions he has never experienced - hatred, bitterness, loneliness, betrayal.

His ambition is twisted and transformed into a desire for revenge. The word tastes of ash in his mouth, but he bears its meaning anyway. He is no longer Uchiha Sasuke, second son of the Clan Head. Now, he is the last Uchiha, the survivor, the orphan, the prodigy, the avenger.

He wears these titles, not with pride, but with resignation. They remind him of his weakness, of his ultimate failure, but he will rectify it soon. He need only become stronger.

Strong enough to kill That Man.

.::.

**Girl who leapt through time AU:**

\- how about something loosely based on the movie? Like I use the concept of time leaps but nothing else?

\- and apply it to Naruto?

...that would get depressing fast.

\- In case you forget: she has to get a running start and actually leap in order to travel through time. She can go back as far as she wants, and the amount seems connected to the number on her arm. (But I can take or leave that bit)

\- Kiba, maybe? Because I write too many stories about Team 7 and Sasuke in particular.

\- He's on a C-Rank mission with Naruto after Sasuke's defection when he stumbles upon/breaks this artifact thing, which knocks him unconscious.

\- Later on, he's about to be hit by an enemy attack that he won't be fast enough to dodge, and the next thing he knows, he's landing behind the enemy. He regains his bearings and unleashes his own attack, securing his victory. But he reflects on it and is weirded out by it. Had he just gone back in time?

\- He goes to Kurenai for advice, but she tells him that traveling through time is impossible. The closest anyone's ever gotten would be the Fourth Hokage's Hiraishin, which is more teleportation than time manipulation.

\- "Perhaps, you used the body flicker jutsu subconsciously. It's been known to happen when a shinobi is under duress."

\- Kiba reluctantly agrees and drops it, but it still bugs him later. What if...? He couldn't help but wonder. What if he had travelled through time?

\- So he tries it out. Meditating does him no good, nor does concentrating really hard. He wouldn't know where to start with hand signs, and that's dangerous anyway. Even he knows that much.

Akamaru eventually suggests the library, which Kiba saves for last - because reading isn't really one of his favorite things to do, newfound maturity or not. He sucks it up, though, and after inquiring with the librarian, he finds a paltry selection of scrolls and texts on chakra theory, some fantasy and science fiction novels that look kind of interesting, and a dissection of space time techniques and their possible uses outlined in a thick, dusty, old notebook.

\- He spends a few hours sequestered away at a table skimming through the books on chakra theory (simply because there's a lot more of those), but most of it goes over his head. The rest covers stuff he already knows, and none of it is the least bit helpful.

The novels are, as he'd suspected, a little more intriguing, but they're ultimately based in fantasy. Thus, their methods involving time travel are entirely out of Kiba's reach. A few of them had even been set in worlds without chakra. Kiba had set those aside immediately.

His last hope is the unappealing handwritten mess of a notebook, which he checks out and takes home. Night had set in while he'd been researching; that's definitely a first.

\- The book will point out that time itself doesn't move backward but that it could be possible for a person to leap back in time or something like that. He'll remember that he'd been leaping when it first happened, so he puts two and two together. The next day he leaps, focusing on a specific time, and it works! So begins his time related adventures.

\- At first, he leaps back a day, rolling crazily into his bedroom. He soon leaps back to present time, though. It takes him a few more tries to stay longer than a few minutes.

\- He starts to realize he can change the past. He can go back to missions and complete them sooner because he now knows where whatever item is or where and when the enemies will attack.

\- Then, experimentally, he leaps back to before the chunin exams, which is also before the Invasion, before the Sandaime's death, before Sasuke defects.

\- He's gotten the hang of it by now, so he can stay as long as he wants; although part of him understands that he'll eventually have to go back to the present.

\- So he takes the exams a second time. He's still cocky, but he tries not to be too condescending to Naruto (without raising suspicion.) He knows exactly how far Naruto is willing to go to protect his friends as well as how strong he actually is.

\- He has a Plan. Naruto had told him what happened to Sasuke, to all of them, during the second part of the exams. They'd been attacked by Orochimaru, who had given him the curse Mark.


	13. baby don't forget my name

**Title: baby don't forget my name (when the morning breaks us)**

**Summary: He's watched enough time travel movies to know that, usually, this kind of thing comes down to 'fixing' something - preventing a death, getting the girl, doing that thing you always regretted not doing. And for Shogo, that had been being faded out of everything he'd ever felt was of any import. [Time Travel. Eventual NijiHai. Fix-it.]  
**

**Category: Kuroko no Basket**

* * *

"Shogo, wake up!" The familiar nagging voice of his mother travels from downstairs. "You're going to be late!"

Shogo instinctively grimaces and shouts back irritably, "I'm up already!"

She huffs something back, but he blocks her out and blearily opens his eyes. His room is as messy as ever. He licks his dry lips and sits up, throwing the covers aside.

He shuffles down the hall and to the bathroom on auto-pilot, entirely too tired to think about anything other than taking a piss and brushing his teeth. The former done, he moves over to the counter and grabs his toothbrush. Lathering it with a generous glob, he begins the routine brushing and glances idly at his reflection in the mirror as he does so.

He promptly chokes on his own spit. "What the fuck?" He manages, and the face staring back at him looks as disbelieving and confused as he sounds. Only, that face belongs to a little kid, not a fucking twenty-two year old.

He blinks a few times, thinking maybe he's sleepwalking or something, and then, brush still in his mouth, he pokes and prods none too gently at his face and hair. He even tries a good slap, which leaves a red mark, but it's no good. Shogo's still gawking at a baby-faced teenager.

"What the fuck," he says again, but it in no way encompasses the sheer fuckery of what is going on right now.

Belatedly, he glances down at his body and lifts up his shirt. His rippling muscles are gone, as are the various scars he's accumulated from fights over the years. His skin is entirely free of any ink, and since he knows he got his first tattoo in high school, this must be back when he was in middle school.

In a daze, he returns to his room and actually takes it in this time - the familiar-unfamiliar clothes, the dirty sneakers, the old game consoles. It's like stepping back in time- and then Shogo snorts, because no shit, _he's fucking gone back in time._

Running a hand through his hair, he frowns and thinks, more seriously, '_I'm a time traveler.'_ What is he supposed to do with that?

"I'm leaving for work! Make sure you grab your lunch before you leave! Don't cause any trouble, Shogo!" His mom yells tiredly, thoroughly breaking him from his musings.

"Yeah, all right! You'd better come back safe, you old hag!" He finds himself hollering back, the image of his mother collapsing from overwork forever ingrained in his mind.

It happened during his second year of high school, and it's what made him cut back on his fooling around all the time and decide to find a part time job. He got fired a lot in the beginning for running his mouth and starting fights, but he eventually got the hang of it. He had to curb his violent tendencies and revert his hair back to its original fluffy, gray, but he kept his job. The extra money put less strain on his mom, so it had been worth it. He'll never understand her, but he does love the old lady.

That being said, he doesn't plan to let her collapse even once if this time travel thing is legit.

He hears her laugh. "Love you, too!" Then, the door shuts audibly behind her, and he rolls his eyes. That woman does whatever she wants. Drives him nuts.

Now that his temporary distraction is gone, however, he has to- deal with this. Somehow. Curiously, he peeks inside his closet and is not particularly surprised by the white and blue uniform that greets him.

"Teiko, huh?" He mutters, eyeing the unassuming clothing with no small amount of bitterness.

Shogo had thought he was over this, by now, but maybe there's a reason he's a pipsqueak again. There's probably no other time in his life that had affected him so significantly. High school had been a wake-up call, sure, and in some ways, it had brought him closure. His first year, he'd finally been bested by Ryouta, and he'd been privy to Daiki's right hook. (He'll never admit to being relieved someone had stopped him from doing something stupid.)

There had also been Seirin's comeback win against Rakuzan, which had even inspired something within him. However, over the next two years, he'd given up basketball for work and had only occasionally heard about the games between the Miracles. Basketball and high school - it had all come to a rather anticlimactic end for Haizaki Shogo.

He barks a laugh. "What am I, an old geezer?" Because those thoughts had been tinged with a regret Shogo hadn't even known he'd felt.

Sure, junior high had been interesting. The Miracles had all been little babies, only just growing into their potential, but Shogo had been there from the beginning, too. Basketball had just kind of happened to him. He fell into it, like he fell into video games, and he stuck with it because he was good at it. Even so, he didn't love basketball; he wasn't Tetsu or Daiki. But he did like it, and that, he thinks, is more than enough. Without fail, Nijimura found him and dragged him back and made it enough. But...

He'd been there from the start, and he'd been good - but not good enough, apparently. Ryouta came in like a whirlwind in their second year, and Shogo had been promptly booted out, his spot handed over to the rising star without hesitation. He'd been bitter and angry and hurt, and maybe after all these years he can understand Seijuro's explanation. Might even believe it. But at the time he'd been nursing a grudge, licking his wounds, and when even Nijimura hadn't spared him another glance after that? He'd become a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at the tiniest upset.

He feels tears gathering in his eyes, and he wipes them away disgustedly. "Fuck," he grunts, because Shogo sucks at lying, especially to himself. He knows exactly why this stupidly impossible thing has landed him in the worst and best time of his life, and with a sinking feeling, he's becoming more and more sure of what he's supposed to do.

"You want me to fix this clusterfuck?" He grumbles to no one in particular. He's watched enough time travel movies to know that, usually, this kind of thing comes down to 'fixing' something - preventing a death, getting the girl, doing that thing you always regretted not doing.

And for Shogo, that had been being faded out of everything he'd ever felt was of any import - basketball, friendships with the Miracles and Nijimura, his entire academic life. For all his blustering, he'd wanted to be included, too, and damn if he isn't blushing at the thought.

He gives the uniform one last glance, and then he resolutely shuts the door. There's no way in hell he's going back right now.

Since his brother always had the tendency to head to school at ungodly hours of the morning, he knows the house is empty. A good thing, too, because Shion wouldn't hesitate to rat him out for skipping, and he doesn't want to deal with a lecture from his mom.

He takes a shower, using up all the hot water and staying in long enough that his hands become pruney, but when he emerges, he feels a little more like himself. He wears his cockiness like a mask, yeah, but after all this time, it's more like putting on a comfy blanket rather than a brittle sheet. He smirks, and it feels like it belongs on his face.

He spares a moment to towel off his hair, and then he throws on a relatively clean t-shirt and some shorts. Making sure to grab his wallet, phone, and keys, he toes on his shoes and then heads out, locking the door behind him.

He walks around aimlessly for a while, idly taking stock of the buildings and shops that he vaguely recalls have either closed down or been replaced. Although some of the old advertisements are jarring, the people haven't changed a bit, still rushing around busily, like little worker bees. He would have been one of them had he not inexplicably woken up ten years in the past. As it is, he doesn't have a destination in mind and only occasionally has to duck around the businesses he knows would report him for ditching.

Around lunchtime, he grabs a bite to eat at a Maji Burger, and it's only then that he thinks to check his phone. He has five messages and one missed call, all of them from the same glowing name: Nijimura.

Shogo feels a foreign thrill tun through him before he ruthlessly squashes it and reminds himself that here, in this time, this is normal. Nijimura had likely noticed his absence from morning practice, which would explain the two threatening messages from a few hours ago. The next one demands why he hasn't shown up at school at all, and Shogo figures Nijimura must have come looking for him in his classroom. The last two are more threats, promising punishment if Shogo doesn't show up to afternoon practice.

He smiles a little, unbidden, and just to be a little shit, he sends back that he doesn't feel like going. Then, he tucks his phone back in his pocket and proceeds to slurp the last of his chocolate shake. He burps loudly, and an old lady gives him a disapproving sniff. He flips her off, and then he's back on the streets.

Somehow, rather than any of his old haunts, his wandering feet take him to an empty basketball court. A lone ball sits in the corner, and really, is he even surprised by his luck at this point? He accepts whatever force led him here, gives in and goes with it because- suddenly he really wants to play basketball.

He grabs the ball and dribbles it, slowly and almost hesitantly at first, but soon, he's moving all over the court, dodging around phantom opponents and making game-winning shots like he was born to play. Maybe he was. He musters up an old memory of a move he'd stolen once upon a time, and it comes back easily. His body molds itself into the image in his mind, and he makes the impossible throw. It swishes as it sails through the net, and Shogo whoops, delighted.

He spends the next few hours attempting to steal moves from the players in his memories, pushing his body to its limit and beyond and not caring in the slightest. He feels lighter than air, unburdened, and he can't remember when last he felt anything similar. For the first time in forever, Shogo laughs unabashedly and freely, allows himself to do so, and he can finally understand why Tetsu always waxed poetic about this sport.

Eventually, however, the high fades, and the fatigue sets in, the punishing reckless playing of his finally taking its toll. He sinks to the ground, panting hard, and he listlessly rolls over onto his back. His whole body aches, and he's sweating buckets. But. As he stares up at the clear blue sky, he realizes the peace he'd found while playing hasn't gone away, and he suspects it won't. This, too, was something he'd been denying, so much that he'd fallen for it himself.

He loves basketball. He, Haizaki Shogo, fucking loves basketball. That's why he felt like a piece of him was missing after he quit, why his hands always itched to do- something. It's why he was so upset about being replaced, and it's why he tried so desperately to prove he shouldn't have been.

"Damn it," he says under his breath, tears streaming down his face without his permission. "Damn it!" He mutters again, with more force. He really is an idiot. He almost wants Daiki to show up and punch him again, stop him from doing something stupid.

"So you skipped _practice_ to play basketball _by yourself_?" A bemused voice jerks him out of his reverie.

He sits up, turns away, and scrubs at his face hurriedly. With more irritation than he feels, he retorts, "The hell's it to you?"

There's a beat of silence, and then-

A burst of pain in his head. He clutches it instinctively and hastily moves onto his feet and out of the strike zone. "Oww! Fuck!" He glares at the perpetrator. "Why?!"

Nijimura regards him irritably. "I told you to come to practice, didn't I?" Shogo looks away with a huff, and Nijimura crosses his arms. "So? What's the excuse this time? Got a cold for the third time this month? Or maybe you got lost on the road of life?"

Shogo snorts. Still rubbing the sore spot, he says scornfully, "I traveled back in time and didn't want to see you dipshits again."

Nijimura punches him. "Fuck- stop! What's your problem?!"

Even as he's getting bruises, Shogo secretly preens under the attention. He really is fucked up, isn't he? Lapping up the attention of this abusive dickwad like a love-struck school girl.

"You're not even wearing your uniform," Nijimura observes. "You didn't plan on going to school at all today, did you?"

Shogo just barely manages to glean the worry behind the bastard's permanent scowl, likely there because he'd rarely ever skipped full days. This, more than anything, is why he'd gotten so attached. Shogo shifts in place awkwardly. "S'not like anything happened. Just didn't feel like going." He turns around and waves a hand lazily. "See ya."

Before he can make his escape, Nijimura's hand shoots out and grabs his collar in an iron-clad grip. "Oh no. You're going with me even if I have to drag you there."

And that's what he ends up doing, much to Shogo's consternation. He tries to bargain and get Nijimura to let him walk instead, but the other boy says he knows Shogo would just try to slip off the moment he let his guard down. He has to concede the point, and so his old senpai literally drags him all the way to Teiko.

It's not his best moment.

It's only about ten minutes later that he realizes they're headed in the wrong direction. The buildings around him are familiar, so he hadn't thought much about it. But they're not buildings he passes on the way to _Teiko_. He glances up at Nijimura in confusion. "What are you doing? I thought you were taking me to practice."

Nijimura scoffs. "You'd pass out if you tried to keep up with the first string practice now, idiot."

Okay, while that's a good point - not that he'd admit it - it doesn't answer his question. "So you're taking me _home_?" Because the only destination awaiting them down this particular path is a string of modest housing, including Shogo's.

"Like I'd leave an exhausted baby first year out on the streets for any unsavory person to find," Nijimura says, and Shogo can hear him rolling his eyes. "As your captain, I've got to look after all of you, even stupid kids who are always looking for trouble."

Shogo scowls, "I can take care of myself!" But inside he is secretly pleased.

Nijimura doesn't bother answering.

Once they arrive, Nijimura unceremoniously dumps him on his own doorstep. Shogo glares at him out of a habit that he'd thought he'd grown out of a long time ago. "You'd better be at practice _and_ school tomorrow," Nijimura commands with all the authority of his position.

Shogo breaks eye contact with a frown, still not entirely sure he's ready to face those fucking Miracles, but he eventually huffs, "Yeah, yeah, I'll be there."

Nijimura looks at him for a long moment, enough that Shogo begins to fidget under the attention. "See you later, then," he says, and then he darts his hand toward Shogo's head without warning. Shogo instinctively closes his eyes and braces for the impact, but it doesn't come. Nijimura ruffles his hair, smirks at his bewildered expression, and then walks away.

"Bastard!" Shogo recovers enough to yell after him, but there's no heat in it. His chest feels light, and he's got a stupid grin on his face. He fumbles with his key, unlocking the door and then kicks off his shoes and heads straight for the shower. The light feeling stays with him until his mother comes home and - after realizing he'd skipped - lectures him.

* * *

**End Notes: _I have so many Haizaki feels right now, and I don't know what to do with them. _So here's this. I don't know where to go from here exactly, but I'll be working on this in between my other stuff so long as Haizaki has a grip on my pathetic, bleeding heart. GAH. Just... if anyone has any suggestions about the plot or whatever, I'd love to hear it. **


	14. One PieceKHR! Crossover

**Title: n/a**

**Category: One Piece/Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Crossover**

**Notes: This is basically three thousand words of just me brainstorming and gushing over Kyoya in the One Piece world, and I haven't really proofread it or anything. I lost interest right around the time I posted "baby, don't forget my name", so this might not ever make it into a fic. But enjoy it, nonetheless! And if you want to discuss ideas with me, go for it. I'm such a dork about my fics honestly. I would love it. AND if you want to make your own fic based on this idea, _please do so! I will cry tears of joy. I'm not joking._  
**

**_SPOILERS ABOUT DRESSROSA ARC!_**

* * *

So Hibari is about 18/19 years old, and he gets hit by the Ten Year Bazooka, only - par for the course - it sends him to another dimension entirely. It's the world of One Piece, and boy is it not ready for Hibari Kyoya.

(I'm ignoring the manga since I've only seen the anime. So basically Kyoya came from a Parallel World himself. I'll expand upon other things that are different as they come up.)

I've got it in my head he'd basically take over an island (in the East Blue, which is where he ended up) and set up yet another army under his command. Don't know if he'd name it the Disciplinary Committee again since that seems like it's exclusive to schools. Either way, he'd choose an island run amok of bandits and civilians just trying to make due. Marines won't step in, so he takes the law into his own hands. He vets the men and women for decent minions and then trains them in combat. He sets up patrols and the locals gladly give him a place to stay. Over time, he converts it into a Japanese style home, and his income is partly from the islanders and mostly from the unfortunate pirates who dock there and find that it's not the easy pickings they'd assumed it would be.

Word never makes it out exactly why, but it does get around that ships have been disappearing in the area. Just not enough to cause undue interest. Most pirates pass it by and head for the bigger and more well-known sister island two days out from it.

So of course the Straw Hats run out of food because of Luffy and end up docking at Kyoya's island (really need to come up with a name for it) to restock. A full four? months after Kyoya landed here.

I figure Luffy's particular brand of annoying/friendliness could convince Kyoya to join his crew. Even though he hates crowding and following orders and people in general.

ALSO! My Kyoya is a little more sociable after a few years in the mafia/whatever, and he's got a dark sense of humor I think Robin would appreciate. (He'd know right off the bat who the carnivores were - Zoro and Robin. Luffy is an omnivore, and the rest are Herbivores because they don't have fangs, even if they occasionally sprout some in battle.)

Nami doesn't try to hit him (and no one else does, for that matter) because he won't take it lying down. The Weak Trio are a little afraid of him for a while. Zoro is wary, and Luffy of course never is. Sanji will be a new member, and I doubt he'll be afraid of Kyoya. I'm guessing instant dislike, honestly. Probably mutual.

Side Note: the Weakling Trio includes Nami, Usopp, and Chopper... But I've got ideas for Chopper and Kyoya (fluffy friendship ideas!), so maybe they're the Weakling Duo?

Annndd! Someone pointed out (maybe in a fic?) that Kyoya actually does smile in canon, but it seems like it's out of character for him to do so, so I think people forget. Also his smiles are basically smirks, and they're usually bloodthirsty. So expect scary smiles which frighten the Weakling Trio just as much as his glares - maybe more so. A smirk means a challenge, and a challenge means a tough opponent.

Sooo this is gonna start off between recruiting Usopp and recruiting Sanji. They're gonna dock at Kyoya's island, and Kyoya is of course gonna bite them to death - or attempt to. Usopp and Nami will freak out, Luffy will like him on the spot, and Zoro will probably fight him.

Kyoya will be even with Zoro in terms of strength. They'll both enjoy the fight. I think they'll like each other - after the cursory 'I don't trust you' period - because Zoro usually sleeps, he's strong, and as I said, Kyoya will mark him as a carnivore.

...But then Kyoya might rescind that verdict when they meet/recruit Sanji, and the swordsman gets in stupid brawls with the cook over every little thing. Also, his tendency to get lost will probably dock him a few points.

Luffy will intrigue him since he's never met another person quite like the rubber boy. And he'll likely enjoy the many opportunities to fight strong opponents his captain gives him.

(I figure he'll stay on board the ship when they get to the Baratie. It's not tiny, but it's still crowded. And I'd imagine it'd make him itch to bite every single person in there to death. Smarter just to stay on the ship and nap.)

I don't think he'd have any personal problems with Nami, other than her being loud. She's a damn good navigator, which he can obviously gauge for himself. Other than that, she's another person to protect. A Herbivore. That's about it. There's also her greed, but I mean, I doubt Kyoya cares for anything except his clothes, weapons, and tea. His food is taken care of via Sanji. So money probably doesn't interest him. He'd leave it to Nami.

(Kyoya will be the only person in the Straw Hat crew who never freaks out or overreacts. I FORGOT ABOUT ROBIN! so there's TWO who never do that. I know that almost every Cool person in OP eventually does, but Kyoya never did in KHR despite the many opportunities for it, and I doubt he would now, even if things are cranked up to eleven on the crazy scale here. His and Robin's unflappability will be much cause for WHY ARE YOU SO CALM WE'RE GONNA DIE?! and PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY ITS A SERIOUS MATTER! and HOW ARE YOU TAKING A NAP RIGHT NOW WE'RE LITERALLY FALLING FROM THE SKY!)

Usopp wouldn't ping his radar either. He'd probably find the lying distasteful, and his constant state of fear to be ridiculous, which firmly puts him in the Herbivore column, but he wouldn't have a personal problem with Usopp either since he's under Luffy and the sniper doesn't go out of his way to antagonize him. Plus Usopp is a good shot, and he doubles as the shipwright. Honestly dude probably reminds him of Lambo, only Usopp's less obnoxious and spoiled. And he doesn't have a tendency to toss people ten years into the future - or other worlds, for that matter.

That island and Namimori were Kyoya's territories, and he's simply waiting for his people on the other side to bring him back. Until then, he'll kick ass and take names and carve a crest of blood in this world of strong opponents in both the government and other pirates.

His bounty will either be a little more or a little less than Zoro's, depending on who I sick him on. (More than Sanji's.) But his nickname is gonna be:

Purple Skylark

Skylark of Death

Skylark

Jaguar

Hibari Kyoya? Idk man this is hard

Kyoya isn't too cool for school the whole time, though. Remember his arguments-turned-fights with Ryohei? I can imagine that those happen with Zoro and Sanji too. Sanji probably doesn't like him because he doesn't care about his opponent's gender - he'll bite women and men to death equally.

Kyoya will acknowledge Sanji's strength (not to his face or in words), but his thing with women is a glaring weakness. Also his antics while around women are probably as grating to Kyoya as they are to Zoro. So he probably won't get along with Sanji. Like at all. He will enjoy his food, however. But then who doesn't?

Luffy probably mocks Kyoya's "I'll bite you to death" in his impersonations and then laughs to himself. If Kyoya's in ear shot, he won't take that lying down, either. Usopp will probably laugh himself silly and then wet himself in fright or something when he sees Kyoya's looming death stare.

Kyoya likely gets along with Chopper the best because the little reindeer is cute and fuzzy. And we all know he likes cute things, especially animals. So maybe Chopper isn't actually afraid of Kyoya (or he forgets about his fear for the most part, until something triggers Kyoya's anger.) and so there's probably lots of Chopper falling asleep on Kyoya's chest or trailing after Kyoya. Maybe Kyoya even listens to Chopper sometimes about injuries. That kind of thing.

Kyoya's favorite spot on the ship is either the lookout post/whatever or the roof of the den/whatever it's called. High, isolated places - or as isolated as you can get on a small pirate ship. As for his island, maybe he's got a Den Den Mushi that connects him to his second in command no matter where they are in the world? Idk (maybe one of {insert KHR inventor dude}'s custom made communication devices. They're mafia, and regular cell towers can't be trusted, so they've got their own towers. And in case phones aren't an option, there are earpieces that are very basic. But they cover huge frickin distances.)

Also this probably goes without saying, but he won't be eating a devil fruit.

I like the idea of Kyoya having ~connections~ and like this far-reaching spy network. So the first thing he did when he ended up here (and realized 'here' was a world away) was to establish said network and find out everything about this world he could. So he knows all about the strongest pirates and Marines. The four yonko, their strongest members, the Marine Admirals, the sea stone on the bottoms of marine/govt ships, the Grand Line, Doflamingo and the other Shichibukai. Just lots of general information about everything, basically. And he'll have stuff like fighting styles and guard rotations and devil fruits and just whatever I think of?

And of course he'll keep all of it to himself, crew or no crew. Until it's relevant to the situation at hand, at least. Like maybe five minutes before a major battle or something. And then he'll wander off, leaving Usopp or the others frozen in horror or shock. Nami probably demands he chip in once they're all more comfortable with each other, but Kyoya ignores her. Usually.

...I kind of like the idea of him trolling the others. But like none of them can ever tell if he's joking or not. "Hey, Hibari, where'd you come from?" - Usopp or Nami

"A different dimension," he says without an ounce of hesitation.

Cue disbelief/exasperation/wariness.

OH MAYBE HIS NICKNAME CAN INVOLVE THE WORD "DEMON" or "DEVIL" or Angel of Death or The Reaper/Grim Reaper. Or Wild Dog? The Grim? Fang? why are names so difficult.

And he's got the Vongola Cloud Ring with him, as well as his Vongola Box and other cloud boxes, so he can fight with his flames and whatnot. (He was on his way to or back from a mission.) Other people might assume he has devil fruit powers, and he doesn't go out of his way to correct them.

Clothes! He's not wearing his uniform - because he's moved on from middle school - and I guess he shouldn't wear his suit because Sanji. So maybe he was wearing a suit when he was bazooka'd but he has since switched to casual clothes (like he wears in official art) and has no reason to switch back. OH and he definitely has a few yukatas among his things because Kyoya.

I don't know? If tea is a Normal Drink on the Going Merry, but it certainly will be with Kyoya as a resident. Dunno if Sanji will accommodate him and make super delicious teas or if Kyoya will have his own tea bags/mixes and kettle and he'll make it himself. I just like to imagine Kyoya with his yukata and tea, tucked away in quiet and solitude (on the Thousand Sunny, I think?) and then Luffy comes tearing into the room, ducking behind Kyoya and sniggering. And then Usopp bursts in, steaming, sees Kyoya going utterly still, shrieks, and high tails it out of there. Cue Luffy laughing himself silly. Until Kyoya strikes.

(Hibari can make his strikes actually hurt Luffy by imbuing them with flames. It's not Haki, nowhere near as powerful, but it makes him a formidable opponent nonetheless.

What would his flames be like against Ace? Or Akainu's magma? Hmmm)

He doesn't like to drink alcohol because it's not very Japanese. I think him not being able to tolerate it was a mistranslation. And so he most certainly won't indulge in any drinking contests with Zoro or Nami, despite any taunts or mocking. It'll turn into a fight anytime it's brought up.

His Cloud Box Porcupine, Roll, is obviously along for the ride. But unfortunately Hibird isn't. I don't think he could have fit in the bazooka? Like he definitely would have flown out of the way. Roll is here because the Box was on Kyoya's person when he was sucked in. If/when Kyoya uses him, the others will be understandably curious about him. But true to Kyoya's character, he won't reveal anything and will let them make their own conclusions.

Luffy dubs it a Mystery Porcupine, and that's that.

Kyoya doesn't actually accept Luffy's offer to join the crew. He just shows up on the ship as they're about to leave, taking a nap on the roof.

He'll wanna fight the fishmen on Nami's island for sure.

I imagine he'll step in on the fight if it looks like it might be interesting. At the Baratie, I mean. Like of course Krieg's nonsense is gonna wake him up and you know, all the other noise when Krieg's men attack.

Ooh but Nami steals the Merry, doesn't she? Is there gonna be a confrontation between her and Kyoya? ORRR Johnny and Yosaku get on his nerves, so he finds a quiet corner of the Baratie to sleep on.

But that's a good point for all future fights I think. Dude's always gearing up for one.

ALSO I'd like his not having a Devil Fruit either be proven by

a) Diving in the ocean to save a Devil Fruit crew member

OR

b) Pretending to be weak against Seastone and then breaking out of whatever prison/handcuffs they put him in (and flabbergasting the others. WHY DIDNT YOU SAY YOU DIDNT HAVE A DEVIL FRUIT POWER?! And then like begrudging gratitude for rescuing them.)

Back in KHR world, they're working hard to figure out how to bring Kyoya back. Tetsuya has taken over all of Kyoya's duties (sans his role as Cloud Guardian), as well as feeding and grooming Hibird. Dunno if I'll show this in the fic, though. I've never been very interested in fics where they switch back and forth between the two worlds/timelines/what have you. Just wanna focus on one.

Kyoya himself isn't actually worried about being rescued. He can take care of himself, yeah, but this isn't the first time the bazooka has malfunctioned. There's a whole process and everything. Kyoya just has to keep his ring on to broadcast his presence, and they'll check each world until they find him. It's just a matter of time.

Anyway, so let's look at plot stuff for a bit.

Next is Sanji, so when Luffy is forced to be a worker at the Baratie, Kyoya chills on the Merry. A crowded boat does not a happy Kyoya make. But then he needs to eat, yeah? So he wanders in early in the morning when it's less crowded and gets hamburger steak. Luffy spots him and takes a seat at the table, and when he tries to steal a bite, Kyoya shuts that down real quick. Maybe Zeff bonks him on the head for bothering a customer and more importantly not doing his job - even if he sucks at it.

MAYBE KYOYA CHALLENGES ZEFF TO A FIGHT. He just- JUST SAYS "FIGHT ME" like an Internet troll or something. to like ALL OF THE BIG BADS. IC ANT THIS IS HILARIOUS. He's gonna make everybody so pissed!

Like oh there's a super dangerous, scary friggin enemy pirate/marine, and Nami's like "Somebody please hold Kyoya back. Don't let him see, somebody take him away. We do not need him starting a fight right now!"

Cue them realizing he's already half way over to the guy.

"Oh god, he saw them! No, Kyoya don't go over- Okay, don't start a fight at least, just talk to- WHAT DID I SAY?! IDIOT TRIO, go stop him from getting us all killed!"

So Kyoya's FIGHT ME attitude gets them into just as much trouble as Luffy's whims and Zoro's lack of directional sense. At least Luffy makes friends with half the weird people he meets, even after fighting them, and Zoro always manages to track them down at some point. But there is exactly zero chances of stopping Kyoya from starting fights with strong opponents.

They do figure out that getting one of the boys - Zoro or Luffy - to promise to fight him seriously later can make him pull in the reigns a bit. But he's still a handful, and why do YOU WANDER OFF SO MUCH AT LEAST AGREE TO A PLACE TO MEET! Ughh!

They're gonna get over their fear of him once they realize just how aggravating he can be. Like really quickly. Kyoya basically ignores all their plans and takes off on his own any chance he can get. So does Luffy, so it's like one moment they're outlining a plan, and the next, Luffy's gone. Then they groan, shake their heads, wonder why they follow that moron for the billionth time, and then they get back to seriously planning mode.

"With Luffy causing a ruckus, and the rest of us pushing in after them, Kyoya, can you-?"

Only to realize Kyoya has already left as well.

"WHY I AM ON A CREW FULL OF IDIOTS?!" Nami growls, kicking the wall furiously. "WHY DO I BOTHER MAKING PLANS?!"

I kind of imagine Chopper tags along with Kyoya sometimes, and he allows it because - like I said earlier - they've got a strange dynamic that one might even call friendship. It's cute.

On the Thousand Sunny, Kyoya's got his own Japanese style room, complete with tatami mats and paper doors and futons, and no one's allowed inside except him.

Except of course nobody takes that rule seriously, especially Luffy who doesn't care for or understand the need for solitude.

Chopper probably visits and chats with Kyoya once in a while. Luffy crashes in and breaks the door too many times to count. Zoro gets thrown through it at least twice, and Sanji begrudgingly delivers food to him there. Brook has an open (unspoken) invitation to play music. The first panty joke and he's out, though. Nami doesn't bother him, understanding the concept of personal space - no one goes in her room either. Robin sometimes enjoys tea and reads beside him. She brings books she thinks he would enjoy, and they discuss them. Franky comes down regularly for repairs and asks Kyoya about other Japanese style furniture/whatever he wants added in his spare time. Usopp asks him excitedly about his Tonfa and attempts to make upgrades to the weapon in his fervor. Kyoya enjoys the noise - even if he'd never admit it - since it reminds him of Vongola.

I imagine the crew eats together at a table in the kitchen for dinner at the very least, and of course Kyoya wouldn't want to do that, but I'm sure he's been coaxed to many dinners with his famiglia, even if they all ended in fights and explosions, so he could be persuaded to eat with his fellow crew members here. So like, all six of them are crowded around the table in the kitchen at first, and then we get Vivi, so it's seven people, and it's a tight fit even though she's so tiny. Then we get Chopper, and Usopp builds a wobbly extension to one end of the table, and it's a little more manageable. Then Vivi's gone and we get Robin, and everyone's a little too suspicious to invite her to eat with them, and that's fine with her.

Then Skypiea happens, and she's basically a bonafide crew mate now, so of course she eats and plays and parties with them. (Luffy never once shunned her. He bugged her about her reading and to tell stories when Usopp's busy and was never wary or suspicious of her and she grows fond of him quickly.

Kyoya is in the mafia, and even if Tsuna was working hard to change that bloody, unforgiving mess? they knew what they were getting into, and none of them were spared from the worst of it. He's used to killers as comrades and Tsuna accepting former enemies into the famiglia. Robin never even personally targeted any of them, which is more than the Varia or one-half of their Mist Guardian can say. So Kyoya doesn't let his guard down around her at first, but that's just in his nature. He's probably the closest behind Luffy who accepts her as a permanent member of the crew. It's just pragmatic. Hibari Kyoya does not jump at shadows, and he's not afraid of anyone.)

AS FOR THE DRUM ISLAND ARC, I imagine Kyoya will wear his hat, jacket, and scarf from some of the official art. Because I say so. Also, he'll probably grimace at the huge Sakura explosion as they leave - because while he certainly got used to them in Namimori, it's been a while, and it was a sudden reminder of an irritating loss to that bastard.

AND I DONT CARE WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, BUT ACE WILL LIVE! AND MAYBE THE GOVT/PUBLIC ARENT SURE, SO ITS IN THE HEADLINES THAT HE MIGHT BE DEAD AND THATS WHAT AWAKENS SABO'S MEMORIES! (These boys will absolutely fricking be happy and together if it's the last thing I do!)

* * *

**End Notes: I mean? Is anyone else excited by the possibilities? Because my boy Kyoya would fit in so easily and wreak havoc and have weird/endearing relationships with the Straw Hats and I love?! it so much.**


	15. The Blood Elf

**Title: The Blood Elf**

**Summary: n/a**

**Category: 1/2 Prince (the manhua mostly since I've only read a little of the novels)  
**

**Notes: Although I have some fondness for Gender Benders, such as Ouran High School Host Club, I have to admit that it's super convenient that these guys end up falling for the 'male' protagonists and having sexual crises only to realize that they were really straight all along because the 'boy' they liked was actually a girl. They also discard the possibilities of trans or non-binary characters, which would make for really interesting stories. This isn't all that ground-breaking, though. I just decided to stick a female Feng Lan into a dimension/body where she's a dude and explore the possible relationships and plot points from there. No real dysphoria or angst.**

* * *

I... am Prince. That person in the reflection is me. That otherworldly face, that fluffy blond hair, even those ears! They're not as large and immediately obviously as Prince's elf ears, but they're pointy. Certainly pointier than normal human ears should be! My complexion isn't nearly so fair, but it's still ridiculously pretty. And my eyes are a striking shade of red. My image is some weird mix between realism and fantasy, and if it weren't my own face staring back at me, I'd definitely be swooning right now.

But this is no time for swooning!

I internally despair, and that beautiful face belies my turmoil. Where are my curves? Where are my boobs? My long, brown hair? My brown eyes?! There's no mistaking I'm now a man in real life as well. After all, that... thing... is down there. I have a thing now!

I'll have to say goodbye to female pronouns now that the biological evidence is indisputable. I wilt, clutching at my nonexistent chest and cursing (insert bad dude) for the umpteenth time. It's all his fault! If he hadn't hit me with that weird spell, none of this would be happening!

I begin kicking my desk in a fit of irritation, grunting and scowling. If only Gui were here... My heart twinges, and I grimace. That's not something I want to think about right now. A small part of me is hopeful that my being male IRL will dissuade my admirers. ...Until I remember that I attracted most of them as Prince, who as far as they knew, was unquestionably male, and now that I look like Prince in real life, the odds of them finding me have unfortunately gone way up.

Ugh! This sucks! The kicking resumes with even more vigor.

"Yo, bro! What's up with breakfast?" My brother throws open the door, and I greet him with an unforgiving punch to the gut. He goes flying, and it's satisfying the way he crashes against the wall.

I stifle a smile, already feeling a little better. "Give me a minute!"

-o-

Have I mentioned that not only have I changed genders, but that I've gone back in time as well? Because that's my reality, no matter how much it seems like the plot of one of Yun's first abysmal attempts at writing. I can't help but snicker at the thought.

However... It's more like I've skipped dimensions than anything else - because no one's at all surprised that I have turned into a bishie. I tried to subtly interrogate my brother this morning, and that's the only conclusion I can come to. I expertly ignore the voice in my head that sounds suspiciously like Lolidragon commenting that asking outright if I've always been male is not at all subtle. Whatever. I've always left the information gathering to the men and women under me. All Prince ever had to do was look good and kick butt, after all, and as Feng Lan, I was hardly any better.

Which reminds me... What clued me in to being back in time was my brother's excited chatter about playing Second Life. The game was released just today, and dimension hopping aside, I have to admit I'm eager to go back to the simpler days of just being another player, not a leader or a lord or whatever. I'll be a nobody, and that suits me just fine! For now, anyway.

While my brother's in the bathroom, I hastily set up the gear, logging on for the first time as Feng Lan, the man. I'm greeted with the same nothingness as the last two times I created my character, and my heart swells when I recognize the GM assigned to me.

"Greetings! Welcome to Second Life."

I open my mouth to call out to her, only to realize this Lolidragon doesn't know who I am! In fact, I realize with growing concern, none of my friends know me! Gah, why didn't I think about this earlier?! I'm such an idiot!

"If you have no questions, please create your starting character!"

While I was busy panicking, Lolidragon concluded her explanation, and the many possible races appear, beast to celestial to human. However, there's only one race I want to be, and despite my newfound worries about finding and befriending my comrades, I can't help but be excited to step into this peaceful version of Second Life where Prince is no different from any other player.

"Show me as an elf!" I say, grinning.

Lolidragon complies, and the other races disappear only to be replaced with a sleeping mirror image of myself. I practically drool at the familiar sight, the avatar somehow more beautiful than the already ridiculously good-looking face I woke up with this morning.

I'm shaken from my daze by a high-pitched squee. "Oh my god! You're somehow more good-looking as an elf!"

I stumble back, surprised at the sudden closeness. "Um... Thanks?"

She doesn't answer me, too busy ogling my elf form, which has since opened its eyes. "You're allowed to make yourself either thirty-percent more beautiful or thirty-percent more ugly," she explains. "Not that you need it, of course, but let's go with more beautiful!"

Before I can get a word in edgewise, she begins dictating changes just like last time, which I immediately argue against, and somehow despite everything, we manage to recreate Prince's image. It's clear Lolidragon has good taste in men - or at least their looks, so it's really a wonder how she ended up falling for my brother. Ah, well, as his sis- er, brother, all I have to do is support it, not understand it.

Lolidragon's practically gushing at this point, examining the avatar with such intensity that I would likely have been uncomfortable if I hadn't already been well used to people's reactions to Prince.

Once the elf finally passes her inspections, she moves away from it, a satisfied, happy expression on her face. "There! It's perfect!" She grins, turning to face me. "What do you want your name to be?"

"Prince on a white horse," I try, just to see what she'll say.

"Denied! Drop the 'on the white horse' bit," she says instantly. "It's old-fashioned. We'll call you 'Prince.'"

I nod, unable to contain my smirk. "Prince it is then."

She winks at me, "Say, you have a girlfriend?"

"No?" I raise an eyebrow, taken aback.

"Wow, really?" She blinks and then leans forward, interested. "Do you want one?"

Is she trying to flirt with me? I cock my head to the side, confused. Lolidragon had never seriously flirted with me before, but then again, she'd known my secret from the beginning. There was that comment about being my girlfriend if the then female me ever turned into a guy... Hopefully, I'm not bound to that agreement. Who knew it would actually happen?!

I smiles apologetically at her, ironically using the very same expression she taught me to use against unwanted advances. "Sorry. I'm happily single at the moment." Never mind the awful love triangle this whole predicament saved me from. How was I supposed to choose?!

She pouts a little, but thankfully she's not genuinely dejected. "Ah well, it was worth a shot." She then pulls up a window only visible to her and asks, "Where do you want to be born?" Then she lists the various options.

"The Central continent!" I reply eagerly. It's technically my continent, right? Plus, all my friends are - or are going to be - there, and I intend to track down and recruit every single one of them. No way am I going to be able to afford to travel between the continents without Sunshine's magic carpet. An imaginary Yu Lian smiles creepily at me in my mind, and with a shudder, I vow never to waste that much money again.

"All right," she sets it up. She then tilts her head to the side, as if listening to something. Probably her boss. Or her dad? Wait, is her dad her boss?

I'm saved from further musing by Lolidragon informing me, "Since you're the first player to log into this game, my superiors have to decided to reward you. Is there anything specific you'd like to request?"

Huh. I had wondered if I'd be given another one despite not demanding a gender change, but apparently this was something they planned to do all along. Well, the obvious answer here is that I could make myself female. God knows I already miss my old body, even if I'm a bishie now. But even as I think it, I know I won't do it. Keeping my gender and thus my identity a secret last time really ate at me, and I'm so attached to who I am as Prince that I don't want to give it up, even if I could look like myself again.

So it has to be something else. What could I ask for that Lolidragon's superiors wouldn't shoot down for being unfair? Immediately I remember my brother's suggestion to wish for godlike weapons and abilities, but as cool as those would be, I really like working hard and earning things with my own two hands. Besides, being given such powerful help at the beginning would be exactly the same as using my husband to give me free stuff. I would just be proving my brother right, and I'm definitely not about to do that!

So something else! What had been my problem when I was first starting out? Ah! My face! I was overrun by mobs of crazy fan girls, and I even hurt Rose and Fair Sky without even meaning to because I couldn't return their affections. That's it!

"I want a mask!" I declare eagerly.

"A... mask?" Lolidragon parrots me, befuddled. "But wait! Why would you want to cover up that beautiful face?! It's a crime!"

I scowl, defensive. "I'll be mobbed like this! I need to cover up at least until I level up some!"

"Well, you do have a good point. But that's really boring! Hmm..." She taps her chin, contemplative. "Give me a moment please!"

A few minutes later, she smiles at me, utterly pleased with herself. "I've got it! We can grant you your request, but it's no ordinary mask. With a simple command, you can transform it into full-body armor! Even better, the armor will appear how you want it to be." She smirks. "How's that?"

I pick my jaw off of the floor. "That's amazing! I'll take it! Thank you!" I can conceal my identity and later recreate my lordly armor without having to 'borrow' and modify anything from that annoying peacock. This is definitely better than the accessory I was aiming for, and it's not ridiculously OP!

With a pretty laugh, Lolidragon waves me off. "Don't worry about it. Here it is."

A really cool mask materializes on my elf form, and I hold back a squee of my own at the sight. Rather than the admittedly dorky mask I had in my first play-through, this one makes me look cool and mysterious!

"Okay, you can be born now!"

Suddenly, I'm being merged with my other self and falling into the world of Second Life, and it's just as nauseating as I remember. Guh. As she vanishes from my sight, she calls after me, "My name is Lolidragon, bishie! You must PM me! If you do, I'll give you a reward!"

And that's the last thing I hear before I black out.

-o-

"He's been lying there a while..."

"Do you think something's wrong?"

"He's a newbie, right?"

Ugh. Why does that always feel like I just plummeted from the sky like a bag of rocks when I probably just 'appeared' here via game mechanics? Is it part of the realism? Because this really isn't the part of the game devs should be focusing on! Maybe stopping the lunatic trying to gain immortality should be on their agenda. On the top of the list even! Or the only thing on the list, really! It's pretty important!

Aware of the female voices surrounding me, I lift myself up warily, and the surrounding players lose interest when they see I'm okay. Just to be sure, I make eye contact with a few of the girls who happen to glance my way, and none of them leer at me like a piece of meat. Yes! This mask is working! Well, any mask would have worked really, but that's beside the point! I'm home free!

Unfortunately, I'm only level one, but I have plenty of time to fix that! I wander around the forest next to the starting village for a little while, and I eventually stumble upon some weak slimes. Hehe. I smirk as I creep toward the unsuspecting mob, and then I pounce. I've been meaning to work out some of my frustration, and beating the life out of these slimes is the perfect way to do that. I cackle wildly as they squirm away from me in fear.

Some time later, once the hill is empty of enemies, I get the notification that I'm level ten, which means I'm finally eligible for a job! I make my way back to town, which is easy to locate even for me, and I squint around for the nearest NPC.

There! "Excuse me, miss, but do you know where I can select my job?" I address a middle-aged woman selling accessories at an open stall.

She stares at me blankly. "You gonna buy something?"

I scowl. "If you tell me how I can get a job!" Why do the NPCs in this town have such an attitude?!

She brightens up noticeably at the possibility of making a sell and explains, "These earrings are repellent to fire attacks forty percent of the time, and this necklace will increase your defense by two points!" She goes on and on about her wares, and I peer around for something cheap that would actually be useful.

I spot something near the back of the menu. "Hey, are those fangs?"

She looks annoyed at the interruption, but she composes herself easily enough. "Yes, they're supposed to be for a subcategory of the beast race, but other races can equip them for less effect."

Curiosity peaked, I ask, "What effect does it give you?"

"It draws aggro from beast-type mobs, and it boosts strength when covered in the blood of an enemy," she recites apathetically, apparently less enthused the longer I take. Bluh.

A smirk blooms on my face, and I let out a diabolical chuckle. "That's perfect! I'll take it!"

-o-

After accepting the quest from an Uncle across town - something that I'd completely forgotten about over the past few months of playing - I skulk around the village, debating whether I should track down Rose and Lil Strong and the others or go it alone. I could use their buffs, and I'm not sure we'll meet again later if I don't find them now. But how am I supposed to find them?! There are thousands of players, and tons of elves in this starting city alone.

Absently, I poke at my new pointy front teeth with my tongue. It's bothering me that yet again an item that fits me perfectly has just so happened to end up in my hands. I'd never have questioned my luck before, and indeed, I hadn't until the person responsible for it had owned up to it. Has the Dictator of Life become intrigued with me this time, too? I don't know, and I'm not sure how to find out. I don't even know why people become so fascinated with me in the first place!

While I'm not paying attention, I bump into someone, and I fall gracelessly to the ground. Ugh.

"Oh, are you alright?" A familiar voice chimes above me, and I crane my head upward to see that it is indeed Rose.

Sheepishly, I accept her hand and get pulled to my feet. "Uh, yeah. Thanks."

I notice that we're at the western edge of town, and if I remember correctly, the wolf mobs should be down this way. Have I lucked out again? The rest of the group comes up behind Rose, regarding me curiously.

"Hey, are you going to fight the wolves, too?" Lil Strong asks me, apparently noticing my lack of a sword - or any weapon other than the beginner knife we start with - and correctly deducing my objective.

I grin. "Yeah! I need to get some of their fangs to change my job."

They all exchange glances and apparently come to a decision. Rose offers, "We were just heading out to grind some wolves. Let's go together!"

I nod eagerly. "Thank you." Rose is such a good person! I'm lucky to have her as an older cousin!

-o-

Logging off is such a strange experience now because it doesn't feel like I'm logging off at all. I'd grown used to living as a man in Second Life as the patches made the world more and more realistic, but somehow, real life is indescribably different.

My closet - once full of skirts and blouses and dresses - is home to no small number of name-brand pants and shorts and shirts. It's nice to know that male me is super stylish, but I do mourn my cute, girly clothes. In a house with three guys, make-up is confined to my parents' bathroom for my mother's singular use. Not that I'd need it with this face, but it's a noticeable change from my normal routine. The rest of my room is almost the same, save for the lack of any sort of bishie memorabilia, real or fictional. There are no female replacements or dreaded porn mags, so it's nice to know male me wasn't a giant pervert.

Actually, there's very little difference between male Feng Lan and female Feng Lan - besides our gender. I'm still friends with Gu Yun Fei and Lu Jing, as evidenced by the constant stream of chatter over group text. My brother and I will be attending the same university where Gui and Wolf-dage will likely be working, meaning Wu Qing is my lazy younger brother in any world. Our parents are wont to go off on romantic adventures and leave us to fend for ourselves, and I'm their designated house keeper, cook, and whatever else they throw at me.

The only news that surprised me is that I've never had a girlfriend. Wu Qing had been bemused as he told me, stating that I'd always been a little weird with a careless shrug. He then warned me from stealing any of his if I chose to pursue one now, and I'd laughed uneasily as I assured him I wouldn't. How could male me not have dated anyone in nineteen years with such a handsome face!? And then it hits me. Could male me have been gay? No, but surely he could have had any number of guys as well, and my brother definitely would have pointed out if he - I - had a boyfriend. Hmm. It's certainly a quandary.

Ah well. I dismiss it easily enough. It probably had to do with how everyone stared at him like a pack of hungry wolves. Even I had a hard time with it, and I wasn't taking anyone's advances seriously. What must it be like to try to choose a girlfriend from a mob of crazy admirers? The poor girl would probably be attacked just like Lolidragon was when people thought she was my wife.

Speaking of being mobbed... I might be the teeniest, tiniest bit terrified of stepping outside with Prince's face. I haven't been away from this house since I first woke up here a week ago out of fear, and it's showing. We're almost out of groceries, and I can't let my brother buy them since I'd rather die than admit that to Wu Qing.

I'm contemplating ordering online when my brother appears in my doorway, folding his arms and leaning against the door-frame. He's serious for once as he asks, "What's going on? You've been acting weirder than usual. You won't even go outside."

Agh. So he's noticed. I might not have given him enough credit. I cringe, unable to look him in the eye. "W-what are you talking about?" I retort, sweating profusely.

He huffs. "C'mon, bro. I know you better than that. What's up?"

I frown, conflicted. On one hand, I could tell him the truth. He might make fun of me, but Wu Qing has always had my back. He'd believe that I believe it anyway, and that would take a load off. On the other hand, however, this is a major burden, and if I have my way, things won't go the same way as last time. Thousands of people will be safe from (insert bad dude), and Lolidragon won't have to cry over him.

Compared to all that, me being afraid of other girls seems a little silly. So I lie through my teeth. I smile sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. "I had a nightmare that I was kidnapped as soon as I went outside, and I guess I let it get to me," I tell him. It's a half-truth since I have been kidnapped in Second Life, and it was a nightmare, even if I was technically awake.

Wu Qing searches my face for any hint of deception, but he must be satisfied with what he finds there because his frown curls into a teasing smirk. "All this over a dream?"

I laugh weakly. "Yeah, it is kind of stupid." It's a totally valid fear, idiot brother!

His gaze softens, apparently sensing my ire. He offers, "I can go with you if you want. Little brother will protect you!"

"No thanks," is my immediate reply, following a grimace. "I'm going to go shopping for dinner now," I announce, grabbing my wallet and standing up.

"All right," he says, letting me pass by him. "I want (insert dish) tonight!" He calls after me.

I roll my eyes. "You'll get what I give you!"

-o-

This is almost worse than what I was expecting! I swear there were women camped outside our door, just waiting for the chance to- to have their way with me. I remember the one time I was pulled off of Sunshine's magic carpet as we were escaping, and the horde of girls who groped me and ripped my clothes off! Clearly, I need to protect my virtue IRL too! I'd like to say I wouldn't be just as bad, but Prince is such a hottie that I'd probably have been driven crazy with love, too. That doesn't make it okay, though!

"Hi, I'm your neighbor, and I couldn't help but notice you're alone now. Do you-"

"-like to go out with me? I'll even pay for everything and drive you every-"

"-a hottie! Let's go somewhere!"

I scrounge up every bit of training I've received from Lolidragon, along with my own personal experience in Second Life, and somehow I maintain a charming, gentlemanly aura even as I'm internally fearing for my life. One hint of weakness, and these wolves disguised as women will pounce.

"Ladies, please," I begin with a smile, tone gentle and alluring. "I would love nothing more than to enjoy the pleasure of your company, but alas, I am extremely busy at the moment."

Before they can protest, I hold out my hand expectantly, and with hearts in their eyes, the three of them offer theirs in return. I give each of them my best searing gaze and a regal kiss to each of their hands. By the time I escape, the women are puddles of ecstasy, and hopefully, they won't think to track me down when they regain their senses.

-o-

I'm not surprised by Gui's antics since he's always sworn he didn't care about my gender, but I honestly was not expecting this.

"Zhuo-gege... likes me?" I can't help but exclaim, shocked all over again at this revelation. "But I'm a guy!"

My parents glance at each other with exasperation in their eyes, and I feel a spark of annoyance.

After a moment, Mom points out, gently, "Honey, you've never been interested in girls, either." And before I can protest (not that I'm sure I would), she goes on, "Your father and I don't mind whether you're gay or straight or any of the other various sexualities out there. College is the time you're supposed to be figuring that out for yourself."

"We'll be happy as long you're happy, son," Dad chimes in, sincerely.

I bite my lip, unsure. I've never questioned my sexuality before, but this whole Prince mess has forced me to rethink a few things. And now that I'm a guy IRL, too, I'll have to find out what I want and as cheesy as it sounds, who I am. I'm not the Feng Lan of a few months ago, and I need to recognize that. I take a deep breath, and once I'm calmed down, I smile at my parents. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"No problem! As long as you bring home a hottie for Mama to ogle, I don't mind who you end up dating," she proclaims, dreamily, and I roll my eyes.

* * *

**End Notes: ...As you can see, I became impatient and began skipping forward to the points in the story I wanted to write, but unfortunately, I lost interest. This will probably stay unfinished, but if you've got any ideas or want to take a crack at it yourself, let me know! ;D If it's not obvious, I completely forgot what the main villain's name is and never got around to looking it up? I'm sorry if it's bothersome, but not sorry enough to change it.  
**

**Also! I'm not trying to encourage toxic masculinity here! As you can see from that last part, the idea would have been Feng Lan discovering not only the many different sexual and romantic orientations, but also things like boys being able to wear dresses and make-up and not having to act certain ways! Because 1/2 Prince is full of (although not intentionally cruel?) trans jokes and characters that are painfully straight [excepting Gui!] and I would have tried to make it less so.**


	16. Haizaki-centric Plot Bunnies & Excerpts

**01.**

**Title: most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs**

**Summary: n/a - it's a Persona 4 AU**

**Category: Kuroko no Basket**

* * *

\- So like,,, Haizaki is slotted into the Protag role, and maybe he never has to face his shadow bc he's not denying any of his thoughts or feelings, usually blurts out exactly what he thinks, and is astonishingly more put together than any of the others.

\- Sort of a P4 AU specifically. Murders and TV world and all. Just like,,, different cast duh and different events/ ending/ plot,,, mostly just using the bare bones

-(○○○○○○○)-

Team:

Haizaki - Leader/ wild card (lol) zio

Momoi - ? Support / Rize

Daiki - zio

Ryouta - agi

Tetsuya - Support / Teddie? / bufu

Mura - garu / phys

Akashi - agi / bufu

Midorima - dia / garu

Nijimura -

-(plot things)

**-HAIZAKI SHOUGO-**

\- He's the Protag, so he's got the wild card, tons of Personas, a contract and access to the Velvet Room, and so on.

\- (will have to think up suitable personae for each individual character)

\- His family moves there for ~reasons~ or maybe a New Start(tm), a place where Shougo's delinquency is not well known.

\- he's used to fighting,,, trading a pipe for a sword isn't that different, all things considered, and the Shadows are generally cut down the same way.

\- he's ALSO used to fighting in groups,, so it's instinct to watch out for the others and to cover for them,,, they listen to him bc he's got more confidence/isn't freaking out and when it consistently Works Out, they stick him with the Leader Role.

**-MOMOI SATSUKI-**

\- I want Momoi to be the first Main Character to enter the scene bc she's my fave and I wanna write more girls darn it - buut it doesn't make sense battle/story-wise. She's gonna be support (pointing out weaknesses/giving buffs/relaying tactics/gathering info about opponents - basically Rize), so I need her like third or fourth.

\- She's Not Cool with Daiki's growing depression and the way he's distancing himself from her and everyone else.

She's frustrated and angry and helpless, and no one will _listen_ to her about Aomine's mental health, parents and teachers and coaches alike. She wants to help and can't, no one will_ let_ her, and it fucking sucks.

**-Momoi Shadow Dialogue-**

"Oh, I just want to help! Daiki is depressed, and he's just lashing out because he's hurting! I'm selfless and pitiable and kind!"

The other Momoi drops the innocent, sugary sweet tone with an ugly snort.

"Haha, _as if_! You're not a saint, Miss Popular, whatever you want people to believe. I know you, the real you. Because I _am_ you.

"You're furious. You're resentful. You're hateful. You're just as intelligent as any boy - smarter, even! But no one listens to you. No one takes you seriously. Because you're a girl. Because you look like_ that_. Because they'd rather you use that pretty mouth for much dirtier things. Even your parents are merely indulgent of you. No one hears you, no one listens, no one thinks you're good for anything, and you **hate** them for it."

"And Daiki? Well, he's your childhood friend, isn't he? The one you grew up with, shared dreams with. The boy who knows things you've never told your parents, who knows just how much you loathe being dismissed and ignored, who swore he'd never treat you that way.

"That same boy who is brushing you off at every opportunity. Who is turning out to be just like everyone else even though he promised to be different.

"He's dismissive and indifferent, and he's shoved you away, tossed you aside like_ garbage_-"

"No, no, he didn't- He hasn't-"

"He's hurting, yes, but you're hurting too, and you're frustrated and helpless and angry. Why won't he let you help? Why won't he let you in? Why has he closed himself off to you and effectively ripped away half of your heart? Why are you suddenly walking behind him when always, always you were side by side?

"He's thrown you away, and you resent him for it. You want to rage and scream and cry, shake him, make him open his eyes and see you, but that's not enough. You want to hurt him the way he's hurt you. Hurt him, make him bleed, make him feel the same clawing, burning pain he's caused you."

"No! That's not true! I would _never-!_"

"I said it, didn't I? I _am_ you. You can't hide from me."

"No, you're **not** me!"

-(that escalated quickly!)

Next up is Daiki, maybe? To follow Momoi's whole thing?

**-AOMINE DAIKI-**

He's depressed bc he's fucking thrashing everybody and surpassing literally everyone and there's no end in sight, no guarantee he won't keep curb-stomping opponents even as he gets older,,,

"You'll have lots of competition when you're older", "you'll eventually reach your peak and stop; let them catch up", "surely there are players stronger than you _some_where,,, overseas maybe?", "someday, you'll have a strong opponent,, someday you'll lose"

All of those things are nice and dandy, but how does that help him _now_? 'Someday' is vague and out of his reach. 'Maybe' is not 'definitively.' Where are the strong opponents _now_?

Bc all he can see right now, in front of him, is a lonely spot at the top, waiting possibly forever for an opponent whose existence isn't even guaranteed.

He's disillusioned and disheartened, desperate for any sort of challenge, clinging to any faint hope - until he finally realizes the truth -** "nobody can beat me but me"**

There is no mystery opponent. There is no potential loss. Just an endless streak of winning, a downward spiral into darkness and despair, and the eventual closing off of all real emotions. Only condescension, only resentment, only a cold, calm, apathy.

No one can touch him. No one can hurt him. No one can beat him.

**-Aomine Shadow Dialogue-**

"The only one who can beat me is me," the Other Aomine says mockingly. "I'm the best. Oh, but I don't really care about anything anymore. Not my friends, not my future, and certainly not basketball."

"_Yeah, right_. You just want people to think that. You've got that little speech prepared, don't you? Got the whole spiel on repeat in your brain, just waiting to unload it on somebody, anybody, just so they don't suspect the truth."

"The truth is... you care. You care so much it consumes you, swallows you whole. It hurts you. You love basketball, but it's not fun anymore. You're leagues better than everyone else, after all, and as soon as they realize the gap in skill, they give up. They stop giving it their all. And suddenly, you're all alone on the court, isolated in what should be a team sport, and you don't know how you got there.

"You're desperate for a strong opponent, anyone who can give you a challenge, anyone who might actually beat you, and you're terrified that no such person exists.

"If so, what's the point... in anything? Why should you wear your heart on your sleeve when it's being torn to pieces?"

* * *

**02.**

**Title: n/a**

**Summary: n/a**

**Category: Persona 4/Kuroko no Basket crossover**

* * *

AND MAYBE A P4 FIC WITH... HAIZAKI AS PROTAG,,, and maybe eventual Haizaki/Yosuke bc Yosuke is bae

Okay but... Haizaki transferring to Yasogami High School bc his brother's off at college and his mom's job has her moving around the country so much, it's not feasible to rent any one place or for Haizaki to come with her.

He moves in with his uncle and cousin for the year, which is just until things settle down at the new job, and he doesn't complain or bitch bc his mom already works so hard for them that he's not about to make things more difficult.

He keeps his mouth shut, insists that he can get there by himself,_ really mom_, and Dojima picks him up at the station.

So like,,, all the characters are the same, only Haizaki has replaced Yu as the protagonist.

And like I said, he doesn't have a Shadow showdown or anything bc he's already come to terms with himself and doesn't deny all the shit he's done or the fact that he used to be a bigger asshole than he is now.

He's better, though. Hasn't stirred up trouble or anything in months.

Things sort of go the same,, but it diverges at some point.

-o-

**[[have lots of vague ideas for this but haven't quite put them into words yet**

**but here's an excerpt of what I have so far:**

"You're sure you have everything? Clothes, phone, charger, money?" His mom asks him for the millionth time, tone skeptical but somehow still motherly.

Shougo would start to wonder whether his mother actually thought he was stupid, but he's well-versed in her frantic, moving-day concern and keeps all smart ass comments to himself.

Plus, well, she's got the added worry of shipping her youngest kid off to some far off, little town without her, and she hadn't been too keen on it in the first place.

This was Shougo's idea, born out of a desire to permanently wipe that stretched too thin, desperate look off her face that cropped up whenever she had to force Shougo to move schools again and pay for bigger apartments, the new school's tuition, and food and clothes for the both of them when all that could be solved if he just went away.

He conjures up a smile and tells her, "Mom, I've got everything. Promise. I'm used to this by now, you know?"

She relaxes only slightly, but it's still an improvement. "I wish you weren't," she says, sadly, but before Shougo can protest, she goes on, "Ryotaro is a good man, and he didn't hesitate when I asked if you could stay with him for a year. Try not to get on his bad side, okay? He's a detective, but he doesn't judge people without hearing all the facts. You don't have to worry about the same thing happening here, baby."

Shougo had tensed at the job title, something his mom had definitely noticed, but he trusts her. "If you say so."

She nods, eyes watering, and opens her mouth to say something else when the speaker announces his train's arrival at the station.

Instinctively, he glances back at it, and when he looks at her again, her face is resolute and full of unconditional love.

She cradles his face, tells him, "I love you. Call me when you get there. Be safe," and leans forward to kiss his forehead.

His eyes sting, and there's a lump in his throat. "Love you too," he manages to get out, and then she lets him go.

He shoulders his bag, nods to her once, and then turns around and boards the train. He doesn't look back.

-(the beginning)-

* * *

**03.**

**Title: n/a**

**Summary: n/a**

**Category: Kuroko no Basket**

* * *

\- Momoi _doesn't_ follow Aomine to high school. After Haizaki is booted off the team ("encouraged to resign"/whatever) Momoi finds him crying behind the gym. And that? Well that sets off every protective instinct she possesses. She worms her way into his life - much like she did Aomine, once upon a time - and somehow, they become best friends.

Haizaki snarks her, but there's never any heat. He defends her against leering and boys harassing her - even girls harassing her - and in turn she blackmails/threatens teachers and staff and students to stop badmouthing Haizaki or accusing him of cheating to get answers.

Funny thing is that he used to cheat. Because they accused him of doing it anyway, so why the hell not, right? Momoi gets him to stop, tells him he's better than that, even if the closed-minded, imbecilic staff here can't see that. That gets her wide-eyed surprise, and eventually a small, genuine smile.

Around this time, the Miracles are falling apart more and more as each day passes, and it gets to the point where she barely ever sees Aomine even during practice. Kuroko, too, and when she does see him, he looks dead inside. It breaks her heart, but no one will _listen_ to her.

She has Haizaki though. Haizaki accepts her unconditionally and hangs out with her as if nothing has changed. In reality, nothing between them has. She follows him to high school **-scratch that**. They pick out a high school _together_ and go. It's not Fukuda Sougo.

Haizaki does end up playing basketball again.

He plays with Momoi during middle school. Matches that are remarkably one-sided at first, but so, so fun. It ends in laughter and teasing and "Shou-chan" in that exasperated, fond tone.

He calls her Momo - because Dai-chan called her Satsuki, and neither of them are inclined to talk about that particular issue. It always ends in Momoi crying in sorrow and frustration and Haizaki trembling in anger and bitterness.

Momoi still checks up on Daisuke when she can and calls and texts him, but he rarely answers and it's usually one word._ Fine._

(((Maybe they meet Ogiwara there coincidentally? And then it becomes Haizaki/Ogiwara? And Momoi ends up dating Aida Riko, who is hot as hell and definitely her type.

...I'm just really craving Ogiwara/Haizaki lately, tbh.)))

* * *

**04.**

**Title: n/a**

**Summary: n/a**

**Category: Kuroko no Basket / Naruto AU**

* * *

Basically, the KnB cast in the Naruto world. Probably just some drabbles.

**Four Noble Clans:**

Akashi - Emperor Eye/hacks

Murasakibara - huge/strong/wind

Kise - Perfect Copy/blonde/all super pretty

Kuroko - Invisibility/low presence/stealth

-o-

**Team 10 / Team Haizaki Info**

Jounin Haizaki Shougo, from a family of shinobi. Sort of a small clan. All of them are hardy, knock down drag out fighters. Fierce and loyal and protective of each other. Father was a traitor, though, so Shougo grew up with stigma.

Kise Ryouta, of a noble clan. The Kise have a kekkei genkai that allows them to perfectly copy any jutsu. Sort of like the Sharingan but without the mind altering illusion stuff. One of the four noble clans. Blonde hair is a dominant trait here. His oldest sister is the heir. His mother is the current Clan Head.

Kuroko Tetsuya, heir of a noble clan. The Kuroko have the ability to make themselves basically invisible. Can perfectly mask their chakra, their smell, their breathing, their very presence. Can be standing right next to someone and they won't notice. Not even the very best trackers or sensors can find a Kuroko if they don't want them to.

Kagami Taiga, a civilian kid, the first ninja in his family. Fully supported by his family, though. He excels at taijutsu and ninjutsu. Takes a few tries to get stuff right and groans about boring stuff. But loves to get stronger and cool jutsu. Probably have tiger summons bc c'mon. How could he not.

-o-

Haizaki's team gets along, but they're little hellions.

The blue one keeps making sarcastic comments in a monotone, and when Shougo or anyone calls him out on it, he bats innocent eyes at them and feigns obliviousness.

The red one is over eager to fight and always zones out during explanations of techniques or why they're doing boring D-Ranks. He learns quickly, but not until he's been beaten into the ground a few times.

And the blonde one... God, the blonde one is worse than both of them combined! He relentlessly and cheerfully flirts with Shougo and takes any chance he can to feel him up or otherwise touch him. Stays longer to practice or asks for another explanation just to make Shougo stay with him longer. The kid's 12! Shougo is _17!_

It's awful. And Satsuki is an awful, horrible friend for finding the whole thing hilarious.

-o-

**Team 6**

Jounin-sensei: ?

Akashi Seijuuro, heir of a noble clan. Dojutsu, the Emperor's Eye. Allows one to 'see into the future', AKA see and predict an opponent's moves and cast powerful illusions. Also has the bearing of a king, able to bend others to their will.

Midorima Shintaro, heir of a clan. Midorimas are naturally awesome at chakra control and are all inclined towards being med-nin. A majority of them work at/run the hospital. All have very good eyesight.

Murasakibara Atsushi, heir of a noble clan. They all grow to be very tall and strong + they have to eat a LOT to maintain their strength. Majority of them have wind affinities and they have signature wind jutsu.

-o-

**Team ? / Maybe he graduates early and is taken on as an apprentice?**

Aomine Daiki, a civilian? Can only imagine him having panther summons. Anyway, he's a prodigy. Good at absolutely everything, made all the more impressive that he's a civilian. (feels pressure to succeed/ doesn't understand why no one's on his level/ they can't keep up and hes bounding ahead and-)

-o-

**Others**

Jounin Momoi Satsuki, a civilian. She's a badass kunoichi. One of the best in the village. Excels at intel and interrogation. Doesn't just work at T&amp;I. She _runs_ it. Best friends with Shougo. They were on the same genin team. Does NOT want a genin team.

(shougo didnt either lol)

Hokage Shirogane?


End file.
